-~.L.

~-s~

LIFE

,,..,

,_~ ..;~ ~- !~ ~~~ .

of the Reverend Mother

JEANNE CHEZARD de MA TEL

F oundress of the Order of the Incarnate W ord
and the Blessed Sacrament
A ccording to

ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS

by
The Reverend Mother Saint Pierre of Jesus, Superioress of
the Mona;tery at Lyons, France

~ an s lated

from the Original French by

HENRY CHURCHILL ~' S. J .

CHAP~A IN OF LOYOLA UNIVERSITY , N EW ORLEANS, LA.

Author of "A nglican Ordinations," "What Times, \Vhat Morais," . :Heaven Op e n to Souls, ,
"American Liberty Enlightening the World "
'

CONVENT OF THE INCARNATE WORD

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

ST. MARY'S SEMINARY LIBRARY

Perryvllle, M Issou ri

Chicago, Ill.

Copyright,

1922

SISTERS 01<' CHARITY OF THE INCARNATE ' " ORD

OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

'\TooDwARD
ST.

&

TrnRNAN PRINTING Co .

Louis, U.

S. A.

923
C53 \S

3Jmprimi Jntrst:
AEMILIUS MATTERN, S.

J.

Praepositus Prov. N eo-Aurelinensis

Niqil bstat:
E. C.

DE LA MORINIERE, S.

J.

CenRor Deputatus

3Jmprimatur:
~ J OANNES

W.

SHA w

Archpz~scopus

N eo-Aurelianensz~s

N eo-Aureliae
die 21 Octnbris, 1921.

4537

TO
ALL THE D.\UGHTERS OF THE INCARNATE WOilD
AS :\ TillBU'l'E OF

AFFEC'I'IO~

AND AS A :\lEMOUL\L OF THE GOLDEN .JUBILEE

OF THE

FOU~DATION

01,' 'l'HEIR CONGmjG.ATION

JN 8-\N AKTONIOJ 'TEXAS

1869-1919
'l'HE CONGREGA'l'ION OF THE SIS'TERS OF CI-L\Rl'I'Y
OF 'J'HE INC.Ail)i'.A'l'E 'YOilD

LOVJNGLY DEDICATE
'l' I-IIS NEW TIL\NSLA'L'ION OF 'l'HE LIFE OF 'l'HE
VENER.\BLE

~\lOTHim

.JIUNNE CHEZ.AUD DE -:\IA'l'EL

TRANSLATOR ' S -PREFACE

Jeanne de ~Iatel, Founclress of the Order of the Incarnate
W' ord, was great in the eye-s of many of the great in the
great age of France under Richelieu and Louis the Great.
Her life was mnch like that of Saints Catherine of Sienna,
Jeanne d'Arc, Teresa of J esus and Margaret Mary, with
the last narned of whom she was contemporary. At the age
of six she said to Our Lord: ""If I could only know Latin,
like St. Catherine of Sienna, I 'vould love Yon as much
as she did." At the age of nineteen, while hearing l\fass
with profound attention to the words read by the priest,
slie suddenly receives the gift of understanding them all.
Our Lord says to her: ''I bave given you what you asked.
Give me what yon promi~ed." She ever afterwards reads
and cites the Scriptures in Latin.
By the comrnana of her directors she wrote her own
life and lights, besides treatises of mystic theology. Her
complete works cover some three thousand pages. rrhe
Cardinal l\finister, Armand de Richelieu, read her treatises
on grace and free-will, on the life of God in itself, on the
repose of God, on the union of the soul with God, etc. He
was amazed and dellghted and wrote to his brother
Alphonse, Caidinal Archbishop of Lyons and Superior of
l\Iother de l\fatel: "I mu hurt at your leaving me t.o learn
about her from others. As a proof that I am well informe<1
of what is taking place in the soul of this servant of Gocl,
I am sending you some "Titings composed by ber. I have
read them with admfration. 1 mn sure that yon will not
be Jess astonished when yon have read them. I want to
Imow your opinion of them." After reading them, the
Cardinal of L~Tons Raid: ''I cannot believ-e that a woman
has written RO aecurately on fmcl1 deep RuhjectR. She must
have stolen these thi11gs from tlw worlrn of ]1er dirrctors."

VI

Til~XSLATO~S PREFACE

He commands her directors not to see her until further

onlers from himself. He goes in person and seizes every
one of her writings. He then commands her to write them
all over. She does so very quickly. He keeps both copies
for a number of years and is amazed at seeing them to be
sn bstantially identical.
He emmot find any excuse for censuring them on grounds
of error or plagiarism. Eefore his dea th from dropsy,
whid1 she has long before predicted to him, he expresses
:,?;1eat iegret for. his conduct towards her aild is soITy tlrnt
she is absent in Paris and that thus he cannot grant her
the execution of her Bull and the canonical erection of her
monastery of Lyons. He is most carefnl to have her writl1gs restored to her intact .
. A.mong souls directed hy this woman were members of
the Council of State and of the famous French Academy
recently instituted by Richelieu, Peter Sguier, Lord Chancellor of France, a renmn1ed jurist, in health and sickness
drew stl'ength and comfort from her conversations and
writings. She had the approvals of Generals and Provincials of the Dominican and J esuit Orders and of several
Popes. Numerous bishops were like her novices making
thefr manifestations of conscience to her. As many as five
of them were seen waHing in her parlor at the same time.
'l'he famons Father Cotton, while iegarded as the orade
of the King and of all France, consulted her on hard questions of theology, as is seen from his letters to her. Father
Surin, the celebrated disciple of Father Lallemont and
anthor of epochal works on the spiritual life, longed foi
letters from her and was even brough t to her to be cured
from his obsession hy the devil. l\Iany holy and learne<l
servants of God of that age said that she was t he most
saintly and enlightened soul they had ever known.
l\Iay the translator be allowed to make an ingenuons
confession'! She had her Bethlehem, her Nazareth, her
'tihah01 ai1d also her Calvmy, while he was writing ont the
pages de~c1ihing her lights, joys and trimnphs, he felt her
mii..;givingR ahont the genuineness of the 1evelati01rn made 1-o
her an <l <>ve11 ahon t lwr ve1aei t-y. B nt hi s donht.,~ vm1 ished

'

TRANSLATOR~ PREFACE

VII

as his mind afterwards dwelt on the continua! humility,

meekness and wisdom and the scrupulous delicacy of honor,
fruth and charity with which she bore her cross of long
years during which she was treated as a miser and fool
by some of her daughters and superiors. Few if any books
l>ring out better the reasons of the Father of l.ights and
God of all consolations for giving the greatest crosses with
the greatest pains and humiliations to souls whom He
destines to be the most like to the Man of Sorrows in His
sanctity and glory.
It cannot be objected against this life of a venerable
servant of God that it is fiction and not fact. Notes at
the bottom of nearly all the pages refer the reader to the
Autographie Life of l\1otber de Matel and to the Manuscri1Jt
)femoir of Mother de Bely, the former's secretary. These
two were eye witnesses of the chie.f events related in this
volume.
Sorne may object to the number of miracles, p1'ophecies
and revelations of l\1other de Matel. Should they not make
the same objection to the lives of the great women saints
abov-e enumerated? Our age loves the marvelous about
the amours of Jupiter and his mistresses and about cowboys and criminals who are heroes of movies or detective
stories, and it also loves J efferson's Bible, or the Gospels
with the miracles and prophecies left out. However, did
not Horace say that the writer of the Trojan war taught
what is honorable and base, and useful and harmful, better
than any of the Stoic or Epicurean philosophers? Do we
~ot yet, some of us at least, love the chapters of good
Rodrignez in which "the doctrine in the preceding chapters
is illustrated by examples ?" Do not we in our age of
unbelieving and materialistic and even pagan environments
and tendencies, need to have our imagination and feelings
purified by Christian legends of the Saints? 'Ve belieYe
that one reader aft_e r another will sooner or later awake
to the merits of this volume even as a piece of literature.
How onesid~d and darksided are rnany of the pictures
we have seen in novels, plays and pretended histories about
the great age of France and the Church in the times of

VIII

TRANSLATOR'S PHEF ACE

Hiehelieu and Louis XIY ! Here 've get a glimpse of the

soul of the o1dest daughter of the Clrnrch in that thl'illing
epoth.
Sorne of ns may ask, hmv eau l\Iothel' de Untel have
lwe11 snch a g1ea t personage sin ce 'Ye never heard of her '?
Lin~ s of hp1 were pnblishcd in 1GD2 by Father Boissieu, 8. J.;
in 17J :3 by an auonymous .Jesuit Father; in 186-1 by Pl'inte
Augustine Galitzin, and in 1882 by Canon Penaud. r11 hc
p1esent life by a daughter of the venerable l\fother vrns
printed jn 1 lO. \Vhy is it that fmv great booksellers will
handle Cntholic books and that many classic lives of Saints
or servants of God are often conspicnous by their absence
from the she1ves of great Catholic lib1aries '? \Ye believe
that th is life of 1\fotlier de l\Iatel is so peculiarly timely and
has so. much head and heart that eventually it will fo1ce
its way into many Catholic families and institutions.
'l'he thougbt of the joy that will be given to the many
daughters of rrhe Incarnate \Vord by this translation of
the life of their l\lother, has made the rrranslators work a
labor of love. He hegs leave to express his thanlu~ to them
for their many kindnesses to him and his .

PREFACE
'I'he hearty approval with w1lich His Eminence Cardinal
Coulli, His Higlrness ~lonsignor Denrnz, and the most
Reverend Provost l\lonsignor Esseiva have encouraged and
honored the publication of tbis work, is its most authoritative recommendation and valnable eulogy. These approvals
would be more than enough to make it known and to secure
for it a sympathetic reception from the select public for
whom it seems specially designed. But this Life of l\fother
de l\fatel, Fonndress of the Order of the Incarnate 'Vord,
being a postlrnmous work, calls for some preliminary expJ.anations.
'l'he authoress, a religions of the Order, had wdtten it
several years before she and the Community of which she
was Superioress, saw themsel ves forced, by the law promulgated in 1904 against the Congregations, to quit the
"'monastery which shelteted their life of prayer and sacrifice.
There then came the vicissitudes and sadness of exile.
"Tas that a moment for bringing ont into the light the venerable figure of a great religious woman at a time when
the nation which was to read the book made its glory consist in shutting couvents and when the mere name of religions was a certain ti~le for proscription? Yes, in spite
of this and even on account of this, the moment appeared
favorable. 'I'his W'"Ork is addressed to souls consecrated to
God and to persons of piety._ And since it was never more
true that ''a11 who wish to live pionsly in J esus Christ,
shall suffer persecntion" (II Tim. III :12), will not these
souls fiud comfort in an intimacy with an illustrions religions woman who was also nrnch persecuted?
Snch was the jndgment of persons of competent authority. It was due to their connsels that the too mode:-it
authoress withdrew from the oblivion iB which they had
been left, her pages written in the sanctifying retreat of

her cloister, in honrs which were more recollected, if not

more fruitfnl in holiness.
Valiantly, and under the control of obedience, Reverend
Mother Saint Pierre nndertook to give the last touches to
her work. Her task was advancing and was even coming
near to completion when God called to Himself His faithfnl sernmt. A duty, a sacred duty, was imposed on her
religions family, of publishing the work of the venerated
Mother whom they monrned. This is the work which her
Danghters today offer to the public, uniting in one and
the same veneration the holy memory of their illustrions
Foundress and that of the holy Religions who wrote this
life.
'\Yhen this delicate task was entrusted to her. the Jrnmble
l\f other bowed down before a desire which she regarded
as an order, committing herself entirely to God for the
success of the work. I t is not withont intere~1 to read
the pions Invocation which then gushed from her soul and
stayed under her e.ye as also in her heart, as long as her
laborions and patient researches lasted:
" 0 my Gocl, I adore Thee, I am in Thy presence. 'fholl
a rt in me. I am in Thee. In Thee also is our holy Mother
~F'onndress, the object of 'J'hy nnutterable mercies, whose
life 'l"hon desirest me to relate. In Thee also are the venerable l\fothers who followed her. 0 my God, Thou and
rny I\Jothers, behold ho"\v unworthy and incapable I am
of doing snch a work. Thy will is my power and only resonrce. I deliver myself to Thee entirely, to be Thy instrument. Take possession of me. Make me do this work as
Thou wishest it to be done. Disclose to me Thy merciful
designs on onr Mother and Thy Order. Teach me how
to tell them in a way which will glorify Thee and cause
my holy Mother to be venerated. 0 my Divine Master,
grm1t me the spirit and virtues of onr holy Order. And
yon, my venerable 1\lothers, intercede for me befo1e our
Di vin e Father and Spom;;e. Beg Him to grant me all
th e graee whieh T uced t o do this dear work and to become
a tine danghter bf the Incarnate Vord.
" :l\ly God, bl css me by the bands of my 1\fother~. "

. PREFACE

XI

These lines alone are a revelation. They a1e a foretaste of the spirit from which Reverend Mother St. Pierre
drew her inspiration.
Exact fidelity, sincerity pushed to the limits of the
most delicate shadings of truth, characterize these pages
in which the authoress seems purposely to efface herself,
to permit the holy Foundress herself unveil to us the divine
mar-vels wrought in her soul. The humble biographer, with
an intention inspired by divine grace, confines herself to
following l\lother de l\fatel in her supernatural states. A
sister soul, Mother St. Pierre is at the greatest ease in
penetrating those dazzling lights. Moreover, she possesses
the rare secret of also making the reader enter without
effort into these same dazzling lights. The facts which she
relates are presented with perfect lucidity, in simple words
hnbned with a seducing charm.
These few remarks were indispensable to prepare for
reading the posthumous work of our regretted and venerated ~lother St. Pierre. She will now present this work
to the reader. For we shall follow the notes which she
prepared for the preface of her book.
The holy Foundress, \\Thom the Incarnate 'Yord destined
to reprodnce Himself here below in a religions Order which
'yould be a n ew r:.rt ensirm of His Incarnation) as He Himself
expressly asserted, was called to reproduce in her own life,
the states of the hmnanized "\Yord.
Thus the existence of Jeanne de l\Iatel appears under
different aspects. Sorne readers, enamoured by the supernatural, will see in her principally the great contemplative.
Others, justly appreciating what the gift of suff.ering is
to a soul, will praise in Jeanne the great Yictim of persecution: glories of the Transfiguration or sorrows of Gethsemani. Few will rest their minds exclusively on her role
of a great Foundress. But all will be seized with admiration of her maryeJous nnderstanding of the Roly Scriptures,
an understanding which was given to her supernaturally,
together "ith the knowledge of the Latin language.
For her, sacred science seems to haye no secrets. She
penetrates the mea~ing of the Roly Scriptnres so wonder-

X II

PIF'.\CI<J

fnlly that. hesides nnme1ons citations from them, she makes

them the textme of ber own writings. Indeed, if her
thonght is made clear only by the light of the DiYine
\Yord and her w1itings me only a refiection from It, it
is heeanse her soul is modeled after the soul of Christ,
m1d he1 life rep1oduced the human life of the 8ayior. As
the life of J esns, so aJso that of )fother de )fa tel had its
l)eriod of p1epmation. 'l'hiP. wns the liiddcn lifc. Then
folJmy he1 la hors a8 Fonndre~s. 'rh is is the public l ifc.
:Final1y ~npreme snffe1ings mark the end of her existence
a.n d cany he1, like ~Tesus, to he1 Calyary.
'Ye do 110t enter here into details of facts which charncterize end1 on~ of these pe1iods. 'l'he ieader will be
g1ndnally introdneed to them. But what we rnnst note
espeeia l Jy, i s th a t the ~n perna tmal sheds on this admirable
Jife a lnstre which never dims.
From this point of Yiew, Jeanne was one f the most
favo1ed ~onls of her time. 'Ye owe to the wise clear sightecllle~s of he1 directol's, the iiches she has left us by consigning to w1iting under ohedience the f~wors which God
hlYi~hed U]Hm he1-.

'rhose writings, which, eYen dnring the life of ~iother

de 3Iate1, ieceived the most authoritative sanctions, fo1m
the ehief source from which are d1awn the mate1ials of this
1ecital. ~toreover, the authoress regretted not being able
to cite in their entil-etv these sublime pages~ inimitable
in style, sornetimes mutiJated, hnt rendered so sayory by
the childlike grncefnlness and the supernatmal unctio11
with whieh they are thoroughly jmpregnated. Bnt, even
amicl these riches, we ~eek in vain for a nnmber of most
inte1esting facts which the holy Mother passed over in '
sile11te, betan~e they did not gl01ify her Divine Dispenser
aJ011e. 'l'hen<'e to hc more complete, l\f other Saint Pierre
c011sn lte<l the J/ a 11 uscri }Jt .J I cm oir of l\Iother de Bly, a
memoir wltielt tills the volnntary voids of the .A utographic
Life of ~lother de l\fntel. A nm1ll>er of new details, all
1p<lo11rnli11g to ltc1, honor, aie the1e related with scrnpnlous
p1 Pcisen<~N.
Fmtherrn01e, ns the holy Fonndress had
t:eaNecl to w1ite fo1 tcn ycm~ hefore her death, H was neces-

PilEFA.CE

XIII

sary to haYe recourse to other sources to relate t he last

events of her life. It is to this precious JI an uscript that we
mye the cbief materials of this history after the silence
of the venerable ::\lother up to her death.
The authoress also utilized with great profit the Correspondence of )fother de )Iatel with her clirectors and
with other personages renownecl for their influence and
spirituality.
_
She sometimes used lso pre\iously published Li ves of
Jlotlr de Jlatel. The passages which ha-ve been borrowed
are citecl with indications of their source.
Rel'. Father de Boissieu. S. J., printed at Lyons, in 1692,
a Life of th e H oly F o undress. It is necessarily incomplete. as it is rarely possible for eYents which are too recent
to be presented in their full light.
Another Father of the Society of J esus edited at
Avignon. in 1743, a Life of Jloth cr d e ~llate l. In it he is
greatly aided by the .Autographie Life and by )fenioirs left
by the first religions of the Incarnate \Yorcl. In 1864.
Prince Augustin Galitzin published a Life of Jeanne de
)Iatel. He deriYed his materials from the best sources,
especially from the last named work and frorn the original
mmrnscripts. In 1882, there appeared a work on the r enerable Jfotlzer de Jlatel. The anthor, Canon Penaud, in
his preface declares that "'he hacl attempted to rnake the
life complete. borrowing his method and ma terials from
modern biography .. , In the opinion of persons capable of
judging the work of Canon Penaud, the author realized
his plan.
Therefore, at first sight, the reason for the Biography
no\"\T presented does not appear, as )fother de )fatel has
already bad serions and competent historians.
HmYeYer there existed a void. So far n one of the
daughter8 of t]le Foundre~'.S had e-ver at tempt ed t o reproduce their ~Iothers image as it lil'es in their own souls.
Yet in a mother's visagp there are lineaments which only
her children can see and express. The authoress of this
book wished to paint lier o-wn )lother. She belieYed that
God, by the voice of her Snperiors and Sist ers, demanded
t his of her.

PREFACE

Xff

Both in the letters of approval and in the beginning of

t his preface, the reacler has seen the opportuneness for the
a ppearance of this work at the present time. I t has also
been said how and to whom was confided the delicate task
of editing it.
It is offered to us as the fruit of patient and intelligent
labor and of deep love for the Order of the Incarnate -nr ord
a nd of most filial Yeneration for its Foundress.
'Ye trui;;t tlrnt this work of the Re-verend and Venerated
:Jiother Saint Pierre, which has been honored with such
high approyals, may be received by all wh the kindness
which it merits. And we also pray that all readers may
find in these page8 the light and comfort desired for them
by the a11thoress while writing them for the glory of the
I ncarna te Yr ord and of the Foundress of His Order.
'
'fHE

RELIGIOUS OF THE IxcARNATE

OF THE lVIONASTERY OF LYONS.

-nrORD

MY

YEXERATED ~fOTHER:

On a former occasion I told you with what iuterest I

followed the prepara tion of the Life of the Venerable Uother
.Jeanne de niatel, and vdth what edification I read the manuscript, which you kindly snbmitted to my perusal.
I nO\Y beg to tell you hmY happy I am today to see completed the work on which the dear and much regretted
Superioress, whom our Divine :)faster snatched from you
so suddenly and painfully, labored with such love and which
after her you have continued with all the ardor of your
filial piety.
\\Te th us sec now fulfilled the ardent desire of your
)Iother St. Pierre, who can never be forgotten. From the
height of Heaven she must be smiling "\Yith benevolence
on the zeal and \\rork of her children, who have done things
so well and promptly.

This thonght should give you joy and sweeten your

mourning. But yon should be happy also in the thought
that, henceforward, the great Jeanne de l\fatel will be better
known and, by the fact, more loved; that the recital of
her cleeds, the publication of her virtues, words and writing-s so manife~tly illnminated from on high, will be a
f..;Ource of strength and encouragement for a great number
of souls within and withont her spiritual family.

xn

LETTERS OF APPROVAL

The life of yonr admirable Foundress is oue of those

in which we see in a marvelous 'vay the action of kind
Providence towards His children, and the truth of the
Divine l\faster that not a hair falls from our head without
His will and permission.
How in all these events, om good God shows Himself
to be truly the Father 'Vl10se tenderness and solicitude
extend to all the needs of His children, even to those needs
'Yhich in appemance are quite small. And above all, how
touching here appeal's His conduct towards souls who give
themselves to Him without reserve.
Jeanne de l\latel, as we can say with truth, lived in
close intimacy with Hu. She tasted fully of the sweets
of that amazing familiarity called by the Imitation: "That
familiarity exceedingly stnpendous."
In her career there were two periods markedly distinct,
her rrhabor and her Gardeu of Olives.
The first is all resplendent with divine lights; and trials,
althongh not absent, are temperecl by consolations which
the trials, so to say, proportionally engender.
But all at once, there eomes the obscurity of night, the
voice of the Divine Spouse is hushed, the cross presses
with all its weight on the ~houlders of the victim, the
chalice of bitterness must be drained to the dregs. It is
indeed the hour of dark?.iess. In the meanwhile, the heroic
handmaid of the Lord grows ever greater before our eyes
in these moment:-; of immense tribulations and unutterable
anguish.
Tt is thus that ~he must enter into her glory, and we.
can apply to her the ,\ords which her adored Master said
of Hirnself: W'"as it uot necessary for the Christ to suffe1
these things and thns enter into His Glory?"
(Luke
XXIV, 26.)
These, my <leal' ~fother, are the great lessons which we
dl'nk in from yonr beantifnl l)Qok. By publishing it, you
have done a goo<l and g1eat work which will be blessed
hy hcr to whof:;c glory you have de~tined it, and by her h_o ly
<langhters, who~ after having followed lier here below, now

LETTERS OF APPROYAL

XVII

snrround her at the feet of the Lamb, as we haYe reason

to hope.
And here can I help thinking of the valiant and pions
)Iother Saint Piene. who in this work found the greatest
j oys of her hours passed on this earth of exile?
The Incarnate \Yorcl will rewarcl you as He rewards
all good doue to the le:ist of His own.
These are the sentiments with which I beoTou nff
~
venerated :Jlother. to accept rny very sincere congratulations and the assmance of my humble and respectful devoteduess in the H eait~ of J esus and )Jary.
'-

'

(.1

LEox H. EssEn-A)

) fitrecl Pr(ffO~t uf the Exempt and Honorable

Collegi<lte Church of St. ~icholas.
Fl'ibourg. December 27. 1D09.
Feast of St. John the Enrngeljst.

LYONS) J anu~ry 15, 1910.

Arch bjshopric
of
Lyons

l\1y

REVEIND MOTHER:

'rhe letter of the Provost of St. Sicholas is an admirable

resum of the Life of Mother de ~1atel. There is nothing
to add to such an important document, which you can place
as a Preface., at the head of this publication. On my part,
I thank God who gave His inspiration for this beautiful
w01k to our venerated l\fother Saint Pierre; that faithful
religious, 'd10se virtues we have appreciated, was well
worthy of composing this work. And .I congratulate you
on your having accepted a heritage of. which your filial
piety has known how to make such good use.
Sorne months ago, Our Sovereign Pontiff, Pius X, by
beatifying our dear Jeanne D'Arc, celebrated the super1iatural action of God in the life of the 1Varrior Maid
whom He had chosen to be the Deliverer of Orleans and
of 1~1ance. .And now we see, in a more restricted sphere,
the Iifc of Mother de l\latel depjcting the history of that
Rame supcrnatural action, in a soul prepared by God to
rcceive it and correspond '""ith it. In both cases, we see
tca]jzed the promise of Our DivlC Savior: "Blessed are
ihc elcm1 of heart, for they shall sec God." The pnrity
of hcmt, which shall l'cceive in Henven its eternal recomJ)(~nsc hy the heatific vision, alieady here below enjoys
p1h' ilP:e~ which the Didllr Lmr of .Jr~ns Chri~t assures

LETTERS OF APPROVAL

XIX

to souls who have the understanding of His delicate attentions and ad van ces. What lessons for an age in which
materialism makes so many victims ! I cannot forget that
Mother de Matel is one of the glories of the Diocese of
Lyons, not only by the holiness of her life, but also by
the founding of the Religious Ortler which, during so many
long JTears, has made known to legions of children the mysteries of the Incarnate Word and all the riches o.f Christian education and intelligent piety. We are indebted to
this dear In1titute for the generations of valiant women,
who, in all situations, have been the honor of the Catholic
Chur ch and of our fair Diocese.
l\f ay the Lord J es us Christ, adored in the mystery of
the Incarnation, deign to accept the homage of this work
pnhlished for the glory and honor of His faithful servant,
and to shower His blessings on your entire religious family.
Such is the prayer of my respectful and paternal devotedness.

PETER) CARDINAL OULLI)

Archbishop of Lyons and Vienne,

Primate of the Gauls.

In the course of thi~ w01k there are related miraculons

deeds attributed to ~fother de Matel. \Ye affirm that we
have no intention to qualify these deeds. It does not pertain to us to judge them. r_ro conform to the presCl'iptions
of Home: we likewiRe dec:1are that the epithets Saint ~ncl
r enera b le are used by us only in the broad sen se. 'ye have
no intention of forestalling the dedsion of the Apostolic
See whith al011e is competent to pronounce a decision in
such matte1s and to which the Author fully snbmits.

CONTENTS
PAGE

iy

DEDICATIOX
TRA..\"SL\.TOR'S PREFACE ---------- --------------------------------------------- --------------------

_________________ --------------------------------------------------------------- -------- --------------

ix

LETTERS OF APPROBA TIO::\ __________________________________________________________________ --------

XY

PREF ..\.CE

CHAPTER

Birth Early Years ( L596-1611 )-----------------------------------------------

II
III

The Epoch of Struggles (1611-1615 )---------------------------The Fruits of Victory (1615-1618) ________________________________________

11
23

IV

The Ascent to the Highest :\Iystic Summits (1618-1619)

33

(1619~1620)

44

Preparation of Jeanne for Her :\lission (1620-1625 )-----:-

59

V
YI
YII

First :\Ianifestations of the Designs of God

IX

The Beginning of the Congregation at Roanne (162516 2 7) --- -------- ---- ------ -- ----- ------ ---- ------------ ----- -- --------------------- -------- ' .,
Approbation of the Congregation-Its Establishment at
Lyons ( 162-162S )------------------------------------------------------------------ 89
First Sojourn at Paris (1628-16 32) ________________________________________ 108

Return to Lyons (16.32-1 634) _____________________________ ______ _______________ 139

XI

"Jiother de :\Iatel and the Opposition of :\Ionsignor de

Richelieu (1634-1 637) _______________________________________________ ______ _______ 169

XII

The Last Period of \Vaiting (163-16 39) ______________________________ 203

XIII

Fonndation of the First :\Ionastery of the Order of the

Incarnate \Vord ( 1639 )---------------------------------------------------------- 220
Sojourn at Lyons-Trials-Consolations (16-!0-1641) ____ 245

YIII

XIV
XV

XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX

Sezure of the Writings of l\fother de :\Iatel by :\Ionsignor Alphonse de Richelieu, Archbishop of Lyons
( 1641 ) --------------------------------------------------------- ----------------
The Cardinal :\Iinister and the Royal Court at Lyons
( 164 2) ---------------------------------------------- -------- -- --- ----------
The }Ionastery of Grenoble-Period of Obstacles
( 1643) ---------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------Second J ourney to Avignon ( 1643 )----------------------------
Foundation of the :\Ionastery of Grenoble (1643) ____________

2 62
2 82

302
323
336

CONTENTS-Continued
CHAPTER

XX
XXI
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV

PAGE

Fonndation of the Monastery of Paris (1643-1644) --------- 350

Sojourn a t Paris (1644-1648 )----------------------------------------- -------The Monastery of Paris during the Troubles of the
Fronde ( 164 9-1652) ------------------------------------------ -------------------The Monastery of Paris during the Troubles of the
Fronde (1652-1653) ---------------------------------------------------------------Establishment of the Monastery of Lyons (1653-1655) __
l\Iother de Matel's Last Sojourn at Paris (1663) _____ _____ __

367
385
408
433
462

XXVI

The .Monastery of Paris-1Series of Trials (1663-1668) ____ 487

XXVII

The Monastery of Paris-Persecntion (1669-1670) ________ 518

XXVIII
XXIX

On Calvary ( 1670-)---------------------------------------------------- ---------------- 534

It is Consummated (1670) ______________________________________________________ 553

XXX

:VIiraculous Events ------ ------------------------------------------------------------- 570

Testimonials ---------------------------------------------- -------- -------- ---------- 582
The Monastery of Paris after the Death of Mother de
Ma tel ( 1G70-167 2) ------------------------------------------------- --------- 602

XXXI
XXXII

DOCUMENTS
PAGE

A-Petition of the Duchess de la Rocheguyon ____ __________ _______ _____________ 624

B-Humble Petition to ::.\Ionsignor de Richelieu Cardinal Archbishop of Lyons by the inhabitants of the city on behalf
of the Daughters of the Incarnate \\7"ord ____________________________ ____ 629
c -_\pprobation of t he Constitutions by the )Iost ReYerend and
:..\Iost Illustrious A.rchbishop of A Yignon __________ _______________ ___ ______ 6-13
D-Contirmation of the Constitutions by Pope Innocent X ____________ 644
E-Letter of a Religions of the :..\Ionastery of Paris ______________________ 646
F-:-Contract for the Founding of the :.\Ionastery of Lyons (16 55) 6-S
G-Brief granting permission for :.\Iother de ::datel to take the
habit and make her yows \Yhen she wishes without haYing to make any XoYitiate preYiously _____________ _______________________ 652
H-Some particulars concerning :..\Iother de :.\Iatel and :::.\fadame
Roussea11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 654
I-Certificates of the clothing and the profession of the ReYerend :.\Iother Chezard de :..\Iatel Foundress of the Order
of the Incarna te \Yord ________________________________________________________ __ ________ 6;:> 7

ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE

Portrait of Rev. :vrother Jeanne Chezard de Matel,

Foundress of the Order of the Incarnate Word ____ .___ ._____ Frontispiece
Facsimile of the Record of Baptism of Jeanne Chezard de
Ma tel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Church of St. Stephen at Roanne __________________________ __________ ---------------------

16

Chapel of the Old College of the Jesuit Fathers at Roanne in

which Jeanne de Matel had many visions______ ______________ __________________

67

Castle of Matel Restored------------------------------ ---------------------------------------

85

Facsimile of the Bull of Pope Urban VIII for the Monastery

_of Lyons -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 170
Facsimile of the Formula of Vows of ::vrother de ::.\iateL ______________ 18()
Escutcheori on the Scapular of the Sisters of the Incarnate word 230
Portrait of Mother Margaret of Jesus Gibalin __________________________________ 254
Front of a part of the former Monastery of Avignon ___________________ _

"r

Si de view of the Monastery of the Incarna te

ord of Lyons in
the time of Mother de MateL _______________________ ___________ _________________________ _
Portrait of Reverend Mother Jeanne Chezard de MateL ______________

56~

House at the foot of Gourguillon in which the :Wiracle took

place -------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- 57 4
Heart of Mother de Matel, her autobiography, her books and
varions objects used by her _____ ___ _________________ __________________ ___________________ 601 .
Sicle view of the actual b uildings of the former Monastery of
the Incarnate Word. at Lyons ______________________________________________________________ 620

Cl-L-\ PTE H 1
Birth~-Early

Y ears

159G-1Gll
On the morning of November 6, 1596, in the city of
Hoanue, two poor childreu, a boy of eight years and a
little girl of six, knocked at the door of the siguorial
mansion of the Chezards de Matel, to beg for alms. The
charity of the mistress of this honse being universally
lrnown, they hoped their appeal would not be vain. They
are cordially welcomed and are questioned concerning their
names and family. Finally, they are requested to be spon
sors to the child of consolation whom God has just given
to Lord and Lady de Matel.
By a -strange concidence the boy's name is J 9hn and
the grl's, ,Jeanne, the Christian names of the fa ther and
mother of this child who is the object of so much solicitudc.
All conspired towards a rcpetition of what Zachary wrote ___
of his own little prophet: ''John is bis name.m She was
thence named Jeanne. Later. she remarks: "I have been
called a name whicb means grace) so that I owe all my
happiness to 'rhy grace, 0 my God ! 'By the grace of God
I am what I am.' 2 1 beseech Thee that it J?ay not be void
in me and that it may remain in me forever." 3
'Ve can imagine the amazement and delight of the poor
little children ! This singular choice of baptismal sponsors
was partially in fulfillment of the vows of her virtuous
mother.
For her, so far, the joys of motherhood had constantly
been turned into tears of mourning. Of her four children,
three had lived only long enough to receive Roly Baptism
with its right to enter Paradise. 'I'he fourth had died before seeing the light.
1Luke 1, 63.
21 Cor. XV, 1 O.
s.Autograpllic Lif0, cli, II.

LH'IC

orj~

.JEANNE CHEZ.A.HD DE l\'.I,ATEL

l\ladame de l\1atel, grief-stricken at the loss of her children, addressed herself to God and promised rfrh presents
to the parish church for the altar of St. Anne, if at least
one child whose life would be spared were given to hc1.
She had a]so. p1omised to clothe it in white, in honor of
St. Claude, and to have the child presented at the baptismal
font by two poor persons in order to draw dow.n on its
Jife the blessings of St. Francis of Assisi, the lover of
poverty. God heard ber prayer and she fulfilled her vow
to Rim.
'rhe paternal family was originally from Florence. Tt
descnded from the ancient House of the Chezards which
held a distinguished rank among tlie nobiity of T~scany.
At the tine. of the League, an ancestor who had corne to
the Court of France, 11ad procnred a position of gentleman
in waiting of the Royal bed-chamber and had bequeathed
this dignity to bis eldest son, John Chezard. The latter
was a man of talent, honor, and courage, and was an object
of the special benevolence of the King. Re be.came captain of a company of light-horse and at its head he signalized his gallantry by rnany a glorious feat of arms. Loved
and honored by the prince he had a bright future before
him.
The moment appeared favorable for establishing a home.
r:ro distinguish himself from the other Chezards, he purchased the signorial domain of l\fate.l near Roanne, in the
Lyo1rnais, and thence took the name of l\fatel. Prudenre
guided him in the choice of a wife. The memory of the
Court and the selection he conld have made there did not
influence him. He prepared to cull one of the most beautiful tlowers from the land which he had just pnrchased.
Miss ~Teanne Chanrier brought him no titles of nobility,
but she possessed, besides much wealth, what is worth more
than all escutcheons- eminent virtnes, the best gifts of
mind and heart.
Not only had God been pleased to favor her most
RpcC'ially, lmt by a p1odigy,
as the mernoirR of that epoch
,_

BIRTH--EARLY YE.dRS

tell us, He had shown His predilection for her. In her

bYelfth year, 1\fiss Chaurier was smitten with a grave
malady. In Yain physicians succeeded one another in their
watches at her pillow; the young girl expired amid the tears
and sobs of those who surrounded her .
.At this moment of supreme sorrow, the ardent faith
of a mother does not hesitate to ask a miracle: "~fonsienr
St. Clan de," she cries, '" bring my daughter back to life !" 1
And the child who had already been covered with a shroud
cast it off and to the astonishment and joy of parents and
friends who mourned her as dead, is restored to life.
Her life, thnR miracnlously prolongecl, ";as to be a tissue
of virtues ,and good works. ~Iadame de ~Iatel was a heroic
Christian. God, who lovecl her specially, gave her no small
share of trials. At each new affliction she repeated, "Glory
be to the Father and to the Son and to the Roly Ghost !
Great 1\lother of God ! Roly Mother of God ! I entrust
myself to thee ~"
Her charit.r was no less great than her patience.. No
sooner did she learn of the needs of the unfortunate than
she sought to relieve and comfort them. \\Then she could
not give money as ahns, she despoiled herself of her best
garments to help the poor.
l\Ir. de l\Iatel cl id not al ways approve of such excessive
generosity, but he was filled with admiration for his virtuous wife; and when she proposed to offer the child to God,
if it lived, he willingly joinecl her in this solemn promise.
Our Lord not only heard the prayers of the afflicted
parents, but also granted them in a degree which far surpassed their expectations ~ although Satan, doubtless
presaging the greatness of the divine mercies towards thi~
child of prayer, left nothing nntried to cause her to perish
even before her birth.
At first, he cansecl misnnclerstandings between the father
and mother who had hitherto been perfectly nnited. l\Ir.
de l\latel retnn1ing from t!ie army and not fincling a jewel
which he had been keeping as a securi t.r for a debt, asked
2

1Autographic Life, ch. XLVI.

2Ibiclern.

LIF'E OF JE.AN NE CHEZ.AUD DE l\I A'rEL

bis wifc what had become of it. She replied tbat, assuming his permission and being touched by the tears of the
debtor, she restored the pledge to him. The impetuous captain, enraged and forgetting the respect whirh he had ever
shown his wife, strnck her a blow in the face and dislodged, with his diamond ring, her eye from its socket.
Terrified at the sigbt of his deed he sent for a surgeon.
'rhe servants had gone but a few steps in the street, when
they met an unknown person who offered to put the eye
back in its place. He . operated with wonderful dexterity
and retired without accepting any remuneration. The captain sent a servant to follow him in order to Iearn where
this doctor resided so that be might send him some ricli
presents, but he was no sooner out of the house than he
disappeared. 1
This extraordin ary event seems to have been a recompense for the heroic patience of Madame de l\fa tel and a
pledge of divine solicitude for the fruit of her womb. She
did not even utter a word of complaint for the harsh treatment to which she had been subjected !
This severe trial so nfeekly borne by the pious lady, was
soon to be followed by others not Jess painful and dangerous.
l\fr. de l\f atel had again gone to the war. His bravery
bad placed him in snch a perilous post that the arrival of
each courier cansed his unhappy wife intense worry, lest
she might learn of his death. This angnish lasted several
months. Sleep almost deserted her and often her only
nourishment was bread and water. Better news having
at last arrived, hope was entertained for the safety of her
life and that of the child.
She had scarcely hegun to recuperate when one day
messengers were specdily despatched to tell ber that her
castle was on fi re. Forgetting the cl'itical condition of
he1 health , l\1adamc de l\fatcl Rfauted in great haste, fell,
mul burst a hlood ve:-;scl. Reemingly there was everything
to fcar for the infant, but God was wntehiug over tha1
1 Th e fa ct h; r e lat c> by Moth e r d e Bly in her Man uscript Memoir.
Pa rt I , Cil , I.

BinTH-EARLY YEAUS

fruit of benediction, and six weeks later Jeanne de Matel

'n1s havpily born to the 'yorld on :November 6, 1596.
" Te haYe alreacly seen how by a piovidential concidence,

of the record of Baptism of Jeanne Chezard de n1atel taktn

from the parish register of the Church of St. Stephen at Roanne.

Fac - ~imile

there presen ted themselves two poor children who were

to hold the babe at the Baptismal font. That very day
'"Jeanne was placed in the hands of innocent poverty to
recei\e the Sacrament of Regeneration in the parish church
of St. Stephen at Roanne.m
Fr~nn that moment the sponsors became inmates qf the
house where they were educated and brought up in the
fear of God until they reached the age in which they were
capable of earning a livelihood.
1.Autograpllic Lif, ch. II.

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE :MATEL

All Roanne, which had shared the affliction of Mr. and

l\frs. de Matel, was filled with joy by this birth. Ancient
memoirs even tell us tha t enernies were reconciled on the
occasion of these general rejoicings. This was a happy
augury of the blessings of which this child would be the
object.
Other rernarkable traits revealed themselves in the
singular goodness of her character. Her nurse testified
that she never heard the child cry during the year which
she had care of her. - This nurse., when obliged to go out,
feared not to lea ve her al one in her cradle; and on her
return would find the child awaiting her with smiles and
caresses. Ladies, attracted by her arniability, would take
the child to their homes and she would make no resistance.
She captivated all by her charming disposition, and, at
the same time, astonished tbem by her- precocity. At nine
months she walked alone and spoke distinctly. Her nurse
affirmed th at she sa id: "l\famma, take care that I speak
correctly .m
The development and vivacity of her intellectual faculties were no less Jldmirable. From this awakening, things
of the supernatnral order interested her singularly. What
to do to enter Paradise, the way that leads to it, or occupation in it, were thoughts that aroused her childish anxiety.
She asked questions e.specially from her godmother. The
latter who was only six years older than he1 goddaughter,
replied : "To get to Heaven, we must walk on a plank
wh ich is no broader than a liair of our head." 2 Truly a
graphie illustration to show that the path to Heaven is
narrow ! Jeanne wns disconcerted and asked how she could
walk on this plank since she weighed more than a har
eould snstain. The yonng catechist reassured her and said:
" It i:;:; easy for the good, but the bad fall into an abyss which
is below and is en lled hell." 3 'Vhen she asked whai we do
in Paraclif'e, the answer was that the Blessed are always
Reated in glo1y. 1.'he vivacity of the ehi1d became alarmed:
iAutogrn p ll ic Li fc, c h . I I.
2/\.ntog raphi c Li fc, c h . III.
3lh icl cm.

BIRTH-EAULY YEARS

,...

" H ow cquld she stay sitting still forever ?" The presence
of the good thief in Heayen eaused her to clread lest God,
being so good, He might let Paradise be robbed. Thanks
to such naiYe thoughtsl grace caused the soul of Jeanne
to he penetrated "ith horror for sin which leads to hell,
and witb loYe for goodness which condncts to Heaven .
In order not to weary imprudently an intelligence which
was already too actire, Madame de Matel was umYilling
that her daughter should learn to read before the completion of her sixth year. Thus it was necessary for the child
to memorize the pra.r ers which she desirecl to recite. \Vhen
her father wished to keep her on his lap, a thing not easy
in the case of his restless and petulant daughter, she would
say, "I will stay with you on condition that you 'vill teach
me the prayer which says that Our Lady is the palace of
~1 esus Christ, and the prayer to my good angel.m
At the time these were ~J eanne's favorite deYotions. Her
confidence in the Blessed Virgin was so great that she
had recourse to her in all her little afflictions, " promising
to serve _h er well if she delivered her from them." 2 She
even prayed to her to teach her dancing "becanse she did
not wish to learn this from meii.m Great was the happiness of the pious child when she was permitted to learn
to read. She recorded this memory in her autobiography:
" r bounded with joy when I learned that my sixth year
was completed. You know, dear Lord, with what fer\or
of spirit I prayed to St. Catherine, Yirgin and :Martyr, to
obtain for me the graee to learn to read soon, for Your
glory and my salvation. I outstripped all the children of
my age and surpassed the expectations of my parents whose
love for me, which was already too great, now redoubled." 4
\Vhilst Jeanne saw the tenderness of her parents redoubled on the occasion of her rapicl progress, God caused
to shine in her mind, by means of the science which He
reYeals to the lowly, the first gleam of one of those renrn1kable graces 'Yi th which He wishecl to fa\or her. She found
1Auto graph i c L i fe, ch. II I.
2I b ide m .

3l bide m .
4l b id e m.

LH~E

OF' .JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE :MATEL

a dozen detached leaves from the life of St. Catherine of

Sienna and read them with avidity. Tt is there said that
the Saint practiced the connsels of the Gospel. From this
~Jeanne conelnded that the Saint nrnlerstood Latin, and
thinking tlrnt the Go~pel eould not 1Je iead in any other
langnage, she immediately exclaimed: "Lord, if I nnderstood the Latin of the Gospel, like this Saint, I would
love You as much as she did.m
She thought no more of what she th us said, but J esns
took cognizance of her words. The day will corne when
He will fulfill the condition which she has laid down and
He will say to her: "I have done what thou hast desired
of Me; now give Me what thou hast promised." 2
At the age
seven ~l eanne heard a sermon in which the
preacher extolled the lJrerogatives of virginity. An ardent
desire to possess this privilege :fired her young soul. At all
costs she must particip~te in those favors. By desire, she
ran in the steps of the Divine Lamb, to follow wherever
He went in the fields of Heaven. 'l'his virginal advantage
was not the less appreciated by the li ttle objector who
rP-joiced in finding means .to escape from eternally sitting
with the Blessed in Heaven. She asked what she must do to
be a virgin. 'rhenceforward she so firmly resolved not to
marry that when a projec.t of a union for her came to her
knowledge, she retired to weep over what she considered to
be a misfortune.
This love of virginity, although borrowing . childlike allurements from ~Jeanne ' s tender years, came nevertheless,
from Heaven and in due tne engendered in her soul an
attraction for mortification which is its custodian. Henceforth she fasted on the vigils of all the great feasts. Having
reached the age of ten, she 'vished to fast during the whoh~
of l,ent. She says in her autobiograph J:: " I did this 'vith
g1eat courage, nlthough my intention was not pnrified, for T
ha<l a Recret complacency in myself .m In spite of this
<lefect which she discovered in her carly austerities, she

of

u tograph ic L.ife, ch. III.

:!Autograph i e Life, ch. IV.

1 J\

:: J hirl c m.

nmTH-EAULY YEAUS

finds after her attainment of emincnt perfection that this

generous beginning in the way of sarifice is an indiction
of nascent sanctity. J esus s~1rrounded that tender flower of
virginity with the thorns of mortification, and shed upon
i t the most vivifying rays of His grare to give it growth
an lustre.
Jeanne was nearing her e]eyenth year when, in the company of one of her little girl friends, shortly before Pentecost, she went to the cornent of the Reverend Capuchin
Fathers to Iearn from the porter who had a reputation for
sanctity hmY many days those religions fast to prepare
themselYes for recei\ing the Roly Ghost. The good Brother
rcplied: '''Ye do not fast, but we abstain, from the Ascension to Pentecost.'-' "\Yell," replied the children, "'Ye will
not only abstain but also fast during these ten days.m
The Brother admired their courage and sa "T in this precoci ous generosity a sign of an extraordinary vocation and
exhorted them to persevere in their fervor and to take J esus
Christ as their Spouse. He promised them that if they
consecrated their whole heart to Our J_,ord, they would be
tenderly loved and favored b,v Him. The "ords of the pious
Brother sank so deeply into their hearts, that on the spot
they took the resolution to fast ev~ry Friday and Saturday.
011 returning to her home, Jeanne w-shed to relate to her
companions the words of the good religions, when suddenl~
she became rapt _,in God. She, having never experienced
anything like this, was ignorant of what a grace it was.
But the flight in wbich her soul "as carriecl away was so
powerfuL the region to which it eleYated her so delightfuL
that she woulcl haYe wished never to return to earth. She
had no Yision bnt shc was tnught admirable things on the
lon~ God wonld have for her and the ble~sings He would
hm'e in store for her, if she eonseerate her virginity to
Him. Later she wrote: 'This was a thing which I could
not utter. I was a chilcl of earth who could not speak the
1 This chik1. god<1aughter of :Madame d e :\Iatel, la ter b eca m e a Jay
sister in the co nve nt of B eauli eu of th e Orcler of Fontevrault. Autographie
Life, ch. V.

10

LIF'E

01,~

.JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE l\IA'rEL

language of Heaven, having then heard it only to admire it

in myself." 1
'rhis was the beginning of the many graces which J esus
was . afterwards to shower on her in such profusion. The
world will soon endeavor to draw from Him that heart on
which He has formed designs of His great mercy. I t is to
fortify her in advance that He gives her a glimpse of His
divine tenderness for yirginal souls and for hers in particular, and that He gives her a foretaste of the delights which
wait her if she remains entirely faithful to Him. To aid
her in attaining this end He inspires her with great devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to the Blessed Sacrament.
One day there fell into- her hands a collection of the
miracles of the Blessed Virgin. vVhile reading it, Jeanne
felt herself strongly hnpelled with the desire to serve that
lovable. and powerfnl M:other and she resolved henceforth
to recite ber Rosary daily. This practice drew down on
ber so many graces that she always considered the moment
she embraced it as a time when she began to have taste for
piety. 'Vith this growth in fervor, there increased also the
desire which was already so strong, of sharing in the divine
banquet in which J esus nourishes souls with the Bread of
Angels and the 'Vine which germinates virgins. But, alas !
to all her pleadings the sole answer she received was:
" 'Vhen yon will have attained your twelfth year." The reqnired age having been at last reached the Divine Master
entered into the heart He loved and fi1led it with an
abundance of His celestia1 consolations.
During the three yeais which followed this happy day,
her only desire was to receive this heavenly manna and to
give her 1ife for the love of Him who gave Himself wholly
to her. She read with great affection the lives of the holy
virgins aucl mmty1s and ardently envied their lot. God
1cse1ve her foi a martyrdom differcnt from that which she
adrnired. 1t is not by the ha.nds of torturers but by love
and sorrow that her martyrdom is to be consummated.
lA utographic Life, ch. V.

CRAPTEH Il
The Epoch of Struggles

1()11-1615
The enem:f of man kincl would like to drag all souls down
into the infernal abyss. But when singular adYances of
grace cause a presentiment of Gos special fa\ors, the wiles
of Satan to ruin a soul are much more insidious. It was
1~ot surprising that ~Teanne de )Iatel was an object of his
hatred. Interiorly, piety and deYotion were continually
nourished and exterior13T she was guarded from all dangers
by the Yigilance of a piou~ mother. But the old strategy
of the archfiend suggests a plan "Thich, on two occsions is
almost successful. His artifice is to haYe Jeanne removed
from her home influence and thus to distract her mind from
the thought of God. One of )ladame de "JiateFs sisters,
who lived not far from Roanne, desired to take her niece
with her for a time. The mother accecled. Jeanne was then
fifteen years of age. ln order to make the visit more pleasant, this aunt surrounded her with young girls of her own
age and rank. It "Tas a select circle but in the matter of
devotion it was very inferior to the family of )ladame de
)Jatel. In order to make herself agreeable to her new
friends, Jeanne deYoted to games and frivolous entertainments the time which she had hitherto reser\ed for the
serdce of God. The feryor which filled her heart was soon
replaced by -lukewarmness, and of her .pions practices, she
retained only the daily recital of the Rosary. But, as she
confesses, e\en this was said without attention. And she,
who for a year had eujoyed the inestimable favor of approaching the Roly Table e\ery eight days, received Communion only five times during a sojourn of five months.
'Ybat will become of ~T eanne's ardent piety and the great
hopes entertained concerning her ! In truth, the course she
has taken leads to the broad way and even to the abyss.
11

12

LIF~

OF .JEANNE CHEZARD DE MA'l'EL

But God, \Vho is watching over her, will rescue her. After
su ch a prolonged absence Jeanne yearns to see her mother
and she returns to Homme.
Thither she goes but does not take back with her the
piety ail d recollection she had before her departure. The
companions with whom formerly she loved to associate, are
no longer pleasing to her. She finds congeniality only
among the daughters of the great. Yet God designed to
make use of her humble companions to lead her back to
Himself. In spite of her disdain, they exert a beneficial
influence over her which she cannot resist. The mere sight
of them suggests salutary reflections and pious memories.
As she says: "Finally, grace was stronger than nature;
little by little I gave up the company of those who allured
me to the vanities of the world, and I resumed my exercises
of devotion.m
Ilumiliated and saddened over the waste of precious
time spent in dissipation, Jeanne again took up her pious
exercises with all the ardor of youthful, inexperienced zeal.
Daily she assisted at several Masses; she multiplied her
vocal prayers to such an extent that she left no time for
other occupations and often she found no leisure for the
family repasts. Notwithstanding her own piety, Madame
. de Matel could not approve such a course. Admonitions
having been without effect, sbe had an understanding witb
one of ber daughter's uncles, to mortify her by reprimanding
her severely when she was not punctual for dinner. Jeanne
complained of them to God, while shedding copious tears,
and she said to Him naively: "I support all this for You.
Devout girls, poor~r than I am, are far happier; the time
they spend in church is not spied upon.m
Our Lord did not disdain to give consideration to these
complaints which cause us to smile. To correct what was
defective in the motives of her chagrin, He made Jeanne
understand that to pray it is not always necessary to be in
a church or oratory, that she could pray while waiting on
her mot her and contributing, by her presence and amiabil1Au tographi c Life, c h . V I.
2Jbiem.

'l'HE EPOCH OF STRUGGLES

13

ity, to the happiness of the family reunions. For three years

she harmonized her pions exercises with her social and home
duties; she was attentive and devoted to her mother and
au example to .her sisters, so that she was the joy and edification of all.
This ficlelity to interior lights and to the practice of
self-denial, strongly developed in Jeanne the desire to consecrate herself to the service of God in the religious life.
rn vain she appealed to her parents to permit her to put
this desire into execution. ~Ir. de Matel would not by any
means give his consent. These refusals saddened Jeanne,
without shaking her resolution. She was confident that a
day wonld corne when God would reconcile the heart of her
father to the accomplishment of His divine will. Without
her suspecting it, this had already been gained. Our Lord
. made use of the opposition of Mr. de Matel, to b~ing about
the realiza tion of His most special designs on this chosen
soul. He called her, not merely to follow in the footsteps
of one of the great patriarchs of the monastic life, but to open
a new way for souls desirous of singularly belonging to the
wr ord of God made l\lan and of making a special profession
of honoring and imitating Him. Before putting this divine
plan into execution Providence endeavored to forge and
temper the instrument. Suffering, humiliation, and repentance will be the refining :fires.
Satan had already se~n the foiling of his projects to draw
.Jeanne out of the path of perfection; but he had not abandoned his purpose. YVhen an occasion for a new attack
was presented, he did not fail to take advantage -of it.
:Madame de l\laters sister was to be married and natnrally Jeanne was expected to take part in the festivities.
But the remembrance of the havoc which dissipation bad
caused was still very vivid and having resolved to avoid such
festivities in future, she excused herself and declined the
invitation. Thus a great victory was gained. The enemy
was not so easily disarmed. .Jeanne succeeded in absenting
herself from the wedding. She could not escape from visiting, and herein a snare was laid for her. A relative of her
annt's husband sought her company; infatuated with her

14

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\1'.ATEL

<:harming manner~, intelligence, and modesty, he was lavish

of his admiration that so young a girl, living almost exclusively in her oratory, and chiefly occupied with matters of
devotion, converse<l so agreeahly, thus combining social refinement with the highest piety.
Unfortunately, these flattering speeches and vain compliments were repeated to Jeanne and this youthful heart of
eighteen years, "susceptible," as she wrote later, " to cornplacency in h~rself and to condescendence in others,m was
weakened by the poison of praise. She, who had refused
so generously to be present at the wedding, allowe.d herself
to be overcome by urgent invitatious to assist at the feast
of St. Anne, Patroness of the place where her aunt resided.
To a ppease her qualms of conscience she consulted her confessor, Father Parot . of the Society of J esus. He was of
opinion that she ought not to refuse this satisfaction to her
relatives. But to forearm her against any risk, he urged
her to go to Roly Communion on the two consecutive feasts
of St. ~James and St. Anne.
Madame de Matel was glad to acquiesce in the desire
of her sister. Everything concurred to favor the project
and the visit was arranged. Rich dresses, which Jeanne
rarely wore, having considered tbem out of harmony with
the humility and simplicity which God desired of ber, were
carefully selected. But she promised herself to be indifferent and persuaded herself that her object in wearing them
was that she might not appear singular. Once started
down the road of concession, compromises followed in
rapid succession. She argued with herself, that once at the
festival, she must not refuse to dance; it would be unbecoming to make herself conspicuous among other- young
ladies and be but a means of advertising her piety.
No sooner was her arrival at the reunion announced than
she was w~lcomed and invited to dance. She graciously
accepted the invitation, but her first steps were halted by
an accident. 'rhe b1ood rushed to her head and gushed frorn
her nostrils. She retfred and with great difficulty supprcssed the effusion. Rccovering from her embarrassing
1Auto gra phi c Life , c h. VII.

THE E P OCH OF STfJ GGLES

15

situation, she returned to the ball-room and accepted ano,ther invitation to dance, but the hemorrhage returned with
eYen more violence. Jeanne was constrained to retire.
This warning did not make her enter into herself. Less
solicitous to inquire into the will of HeR\en than to satisfy
her own Yanity, she saw in the accident only an effect of
excessive heat, and she planned to begin anew on the

morrow.
In order not to scandalize those who had seen her playing and dancing, she . omittecl the Communion \vhich her
confessor recommended. Free from this salutary check, sbe
lent herself with her natural charm and grace to
frfrolous games and conversations, but without losing her
habitual perfect modesty and decorum. All were captiYated by her and she was the object of so many fiattering
.compliments t hat she said to herself, "You thought yourself ignorant of the ways of the world and now see how
pleasing you are to all whom you meet.m H appily, while
this flattered her V"anity, it could not satiate her heart. She
confe~ses : '"I was pleasing to all,. but displeasing to myself
out of fear of not being pleasing to God." 2
Eight days were passed in these exterior pleasures and
interior pains which Jeanne tried to quell by promising
herself to put an end as soon as possible to this life of dissipation. Her half formed resolution was strengthened by
another accident. A storm of great violence broke out and
u p1>ooted many trees: in this ca taclysm her harrowed conscience ~a"? a sign of the indignation of God against her.
To appease it, she made more positive promises to God and
arranged the date of her departure. "For the feast of Our
Lady of the Angels, I shall be at Roanne and receive Communion t o p:ain the inclulgence.m
She kept her word. Hnt he1 return under the paternal
ioof <lid no t rest ore either he1 fervor or the spirit of self<1e11ial with \Yhich her soul had been filled before her depart ure. Our Lord. from "\Yhom she had turned away so
giddily, after receiving so many marks of His special love~
1Au tographic L ife, ch. Y II .
'.?Ibidem .
:::I b i de m .

16

LIU'E Oli, JEAN!\E CHEZARD DE MA'rEL

Clrnrch of St.

~S t ep h en

at Roanne

THE EPOCH OF STilUGGLES

17

was now to show her the gravity of her inconstancy. She

wished to resume her pions exercises. Instead of the happiness she formerly felt, she now experienced only distaste.
ff she had heeded her feelings perhaps she W'ould have given
np all of these exercises of devotion, but she was hindered
l>y human respect from doing this. Hitherto, all Roanne
had admired her piety. From her tender childhood, she
had sh"wn such a desire of becoming a religions, that, as
she thought, she should not allow her lukewarmness to
be seen.
\Yhat she thonght she was concealing, was visible to all.
\Yhen heretofore, there had been opportunities to appear
in company, she had always yielded to her aunt or to her
younger sister her rights as the- eldest daughter of the
house; now she rarely made any objection to accept invitations to evening parties. She could easily bave found a way
to refuse her company but she did nothing of the. kind and
readil~T acceded to the slightest requests.
Then, in order
to calm the reproaches of her conscience, she said to God:
r will be most mindful of Yon during the dance.m
As soon as ~Jeanne appeared at these worldly reunions,
Our Lord made Hirnself known to her, as she relates: \Yith
a presence which was ipxhdble to the e.res of my body but
v:;ible to the eyes of my spirit which kept saying in a charitable tone: '\Y1rnt a fine figure you eut in the dance!' At
these words, I blushed with shame; neYertheless the next
<lay 1 had not the courage to resist when I was begged to
1etn1n ." 2
In the meanwhile God did not abandon ber. He snrrounded this rash child with His unwearying protetion and
permitted no evil thought to approach her. He imbued
those who surTOUIHled her with such sentiments of respect
that no one dared to addl'ess her with the frivolons expressions frequently nsed in snch a~semblies.
But ~Jeanne, while protected from danger, was not immune from remor~e. After tasting the joys of the senTice
of God, how could her present spirit of contradiction to
1Autographic Life, cl!. YIII.
2Ibidem.

18

I.H'I~

OF' JE.ANNE CHEZAltD DE

~I.A'l'EL

God be otherwise than most painful? Her restless discontent soon showed itself outwardly.
She, whose s'veetness and condescendence 4ad made her
the angel of her home, now became uncongenial and disagreeable. All who came in contact with her seemed to be
against her. She could not receive an admonition from her
mother, without fancying that she was no longer loved by
her. This torture seemed intolerable. There was but one
remedy-tlwt of giving up worldly pastime.s; she pursued
the contrary course. She says: a1 asked to go to see my
aunt who 'vas sick in body, in the town where I myself had
become sick in sou i.m
The arrival of ~Jeanne was a source of great pleasure
to her aunt. This lady had been brought up in the
home of Madame de Matel and was a daily witness of the
goodness and piety of her niece. She had no idea that any
motive but affectionate charity could have induced Jeanne
to visit her; her heart feastecl on the consolations which she
hoped to reap from her presence. But her expectations
were doomed to disappointment. Instead of seeking to
solace her aunt, Jeanne thought only of amusements, to
which she devoted almost her entire time. The husband
and mother-in-law of the sick lady were equally surprised.
The aunt had offen related to them her niece's virtues and
her attraction for the religions life, and now they said to her:.
''Your sister thinks that her daughter may become a religions, but she is far from the spirit of that profession; shc
is never with you in yonr illness." 2
None of tho'se who 'vere astonished at Jeanne's conduct,
let her suspect their disapprobation. But she coulcl not
sil ence the reproaches of her conscience. Her Divine 1\Iast er (l id Hot spare her. .As soon as shc began to enjoy herself
she heard ie-echoin g in the depths of her hemt these stinging wor ds: "" ' Vhnt a fine figure yon cnt in these gowns."g
She did not misnu<l erstand these relmkes, but she replied
t o th cm onl y by ponting : " 1\Iay I not be allowed to recreatc
1 Au 1ogTn.phic L ife, c il . VIII.
2Jb iclem.
3l bidem.

'l'HE EPOCH OF S'l'RUGGLES

19

innoceutly like other young girls? Must they cull all the
roses of en joyrnent and I alone be pierced hy the thorns of
my ~ cTn vl es aud Your iepronches ?m
l>uring these 1minfnl colloquies, what about the gaiety
of the obstina te pleasure-seeker? Did her frolicsome corn
panions surmise the secret of those interior contradictionf:?
By no means, nothing exterior betrayed these combah:; i11
lier soul. As she tells us, "I watched over my interior and
exterior.m 'Vhen she was alone, the struggle came back
mo1e te1ribly and dedsively. 'J'he battle was being wagf:d,
not for these passing pleasures, but for her vocation itself.
On the one hand, the fear that by her neglect she mjght
become criminal in the eyes of God and even of man, made
her apprehensive of resisting the attraction which she had
always felt for the religions life. On the other hand, the
.fervent love that she formerly felt for solitude and mortification which she had considered the sweetest joys of life,
was now replaced by disgust and pusillanimity. She feared
that she could not endure the rigors of the cloister and she
was alarmed at the thought of being confined there fmever.
"I could not resolve," she says, "to face the austerity
practised, as I thought, in religion. I suffered no temptation and I had no thought of marriage. You had exempted
me from every sensual sentiment and I had no knowledge
of such things, but I dreaded to be shut in all my life, and
T desired to be able to enjoy my liberty and freedom with3
out anv
.. feai .of constraint.''
While a prey to these perplexities, the ungrateful child
sometimes went so far as to regret that she had received so
many special impulses of grace. " Oh, if I had not been
born where devotion and piety were nurtured, I would not
have giyen myself up to its practice. And if I bad not seen
that little girl who lent me tbe book recording the miracles
of Your Holy Mother, I would not uow be a prey to the
. annoyances and sorrows in which I am entangled, as a
eonsequence of following thm;e devotions. Alas, my God.,
A uto g r a phi e Lif e, c h. VIII .
2lbide m.
:nbh1 e m.

20

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.ARD DE l\lATEL

if to deliver me from anxiety You would only make my

father and mother say decidedly that they are unwilling
for me to enter a couvent, I would be relieved of the
appreheusions I feel lest I may have been unfaithful to
You, and also of the shame I would suffer in the eyes of
those who have known my aspirations.m
However, grace had the last word. "Al as! what am
I saying? Dear Lord, pardon a child who is tempted
aud troubled, and asks for what is contrary to her welfare. My God, I do not want to leave You and I do not
waut to yield to these temptations, but give me strength
to surmount them. I abandon myself to Your mercy. Have
pity on me, although I am so unworthy of it.m
Wb ile th us tempted from within, Jeanne was also tormented from without. A woman in the service of her aunt,
manifested a worldly affection for her. On many occasions
she argued that she would do wrong to sacrifice her privilegcs as the oldest child of her family, to become a religious;
that she was too highly gifted to shut herself up in a couvent; that from her first sojourn in that locality, all saw
her but to admire her. This flattery made an impression
on a spirit already shaken, but Jeanne's pride did not
permit her to show it, and she non-plussed the worldlywise woman by replying with apparent firmness, "No, I
wish to be a religions."
A cousin also spok~ to Jeanne- in the same strain. This
very frivolous young lady was most eager to bring her
fnto contact with her own girl friends and thereby induce
her to take part in their vain amusements. One day, with
an indiscretion equal to her 1evity, she confidentially related
to Jeanne some of the criticisms which she had heard others
pass upon her; they rema.rked that she did not now enter
into the intentions of her own ~other, in giving so little
of ber time to ber sick aunt and they thought that Madame
de Ma tel had no cause to fear that Jeanne would be a
religions. She added, with many caresses: "I beg you
Hot to enter a couvent. 'Vlrnt wonld you do in a cloister?
1A n togr aph ic Life, ch. VIII.

2Tbicl em.

THE EPOCH OF STRUGGLES

21

Hemain in the world with us." "I make no promise," replied

Jeanne, 'God calls me, and I will not be unfaithful to
Him.'' 1

This time her words came from the heart. There was
in the tone and manner in which she expressed herself,
something that made her cousin realize that nothing would
turn her away from her vocation.
Unconsciously, this young feather-brained cousin irrevocabl~y strengthened ,Jeanne in her vocation, for the
startling revelation suddenly enlightened her. To render
herself agreeable to creatures, she abandoned God and by
her very infidelity to Him, she even displeased her friends.
Her straightforward mind recognized ber own miscalculation and she said : ''Dear Lord, it is right for creatures
to be disgusted with one who does not love as she ought
her own Creator and theirs, and who from vain complacency wished to abandon her Creator to adhere to them.m
Jeanne immediately resolved to return tQ her mother
and resume her former life of prayer and mortification,
and to break away from all that would withdraw her from
God. She was determined to profit by the painful experi-.
ence of her own weakness. Relying on God's goodness,
she said to Him: "It is in Your mercy that I place my hope !
I make You no pr01nise to fight with generosity. -nrithout
Y ou I can do nothing. Y ou shall do all.m
This humble avowal gave complete success to the designs of Providence. The indispensable foundation for the
spiritual edifice was now solidly and deeply established.
The intimate know1edge of the little or nothing she could
do of herself, would aid her, through her whol life, to
ascribe to God the numberless benefits which she would
receive from Him.
l\fany arguments were brougbt forth to compel Jeanne
to alter her resolution; the inadvisability of undertaking
a journey in the midst of the rigors of winter, etc., but
she remained firm and nothing could make her defer her
departure. After her return - to the paternal roof, she
1Autographic Life, ch. IX.
2Ibidem.
3Jbidem.

22

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

suffe1ed for some time from the wounds inflicted on her

:--;oul. She thought she read blame on every face, and that
all shared the discontent which she felt with herself.
'Hie Divine Physician was to be the healer of these
wounds. " On the first Sunday of Lent," relates Jeanne,
''it pleased You, 0 my Divine Flame, to enlighten me and
to convert me entirely to Yourself. Yon then gave me a
share in the victories which You did gloriously gain in
the desert, and, on that day. Y ou said to me: 'Place
thy trust in l\f e, I have vanquished thine enemies.' m
The word of God is ever true and efficacious, it accomplishes what it cornrnands. The struggle 'vas over and victory was on the si de of ~T esus. )"e slrnll now see Him
lavishing upon her the riches of His love and grace, to enrich
His dear conquest, and dispose her for the realization of
His designs upon her.
lAutographic Life, ch. IX.

CHAPT ER Il I

The Fruits of Victory

1615- 1618
Jeanne was not fullv aware of the numberless blessings
promised by the \\..,. ord " . hich had delivered her from danger
and put her enemies to flight. The :first effect produced
hy her reawakening. was the arousing of indignation against
herself. She fe1t so deeply her ingratitude to God, shown
by her unfaithfulness to her pious practices, that she wished
Ilis justice would pursue her with the utmost rigor. But
the more she longed for severity, the more J esus showed
His tenderness. '\rhat ! dear Lord/' she exclaimed, " You
caress her who only a month ago said to You: '\Vhy
do You call me to be devout?' and who seemed angry because Your goodness had thought of her from eternity !
. . . It is not right for an ingrate to receive so many
sweetnesses and to be treated " . ith lm. e: lea\"e me in fear.
and chastise my infidelities by the prfration of all consolations, except such as are necessary for my salYation.'-1
The issue of this struggle was not doubtful. The humble
and repentant lo-ve which stripped itself, coulcl not preYail against the generous and all powerful love which
,-dshed to gfre in abundance. These outpourings of an
humble and contrite heart. far from hindering the lanshings of the God of merci es, only increased them. X one
could then foresee the length to which these divine liberalities would go.
On the fi rst ~J onday of Lent. in the year 1615, .Jeanne
was assisting at ~l ass. profoundly recollected and a ttentfre to each prayer of the priest. To he:r' intense astonif'hment she understands. after the reading of the Epistle.
the liturgical language. .
. At the same moment. God
vividly recalls to her mind tha t twel Ye years before, she
bacl assured Him that if He ta ught her to understancl
~

J,Auto~raphic

Life.1 h, X.
23

24

LU'E OF JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE 1\IATEL

the Latin of the Gospel, she woulcl love Him as much as

did St. Catherine of Sienna. She was now commanded
to. fulfill her promise. Our Lord bad bestowed on ber the
gift of understandiug the Latin language and the mystical
~ense of the Roly Seriptures.
':rhese were singular favors. The education of women,
cven in the great age of Louis XIV, ordinarily included
011 ly vel'y limited instruction. Fortunately, at that time
there was, at least, no educational law which blocked the
eareer marked out by Providence for girls of high 01 of
mo(lest birth. If some snrpassed their corn panions in 1iter-
my achievements, they owed these advantages to exceptional
situations: their natural aptitudes had attracted the attention of a friend or interested the zeal of a relative.
Not a few were un der obligations to a priest for their
eminence in literatnre or in the sciences. Madame de
Sevigne lrnd her Abb de Coulanges, and witt:v dames of
that epoeh rejoiced in the atmosphere of Port-.Royal. But
.Jeanne de l\fatel had no such aids. And yet none the less
1-!he became a great writer, and, above all, a consummate
theologian.
'I'his "~ealth of science which came to ~T eanne as quick
as lightning and which was as lasting as the source from
which it flowed, was., as is readily seen, more than a celestial
condescendence. It was a means to the end proposed by
the Incarnate 'Yord. J t was the characteristic mal'k of
His special grace, the radiant sketch of His mvn supernatmal physiognomy. 'I'he Lord had predestined her to
hecome, in a special nrnnner, the sponse of the Snbstantial
'Yord of the Father, and He gave her intelligence with
1eganl to God's revea1ed wonl and even to the language
in which the Chnl'ch p1rse1ves it. 'J'he "'\Y 01<1 which pro('P<"l fl~ from H N eterna 1 Piinciple by the way of mHle1stan<1i11g, wishcd the disti11gni~hi11g chmaeteriRtit of thi~ fqionFe
of Ili~ to be a p;l'<l<'C Of ]ight Oll the divine lll.n~tCl'CS arn1
of 11tclligell('e with rrgm'<1 to ihe rcvralcd 'Yord.
IIe
1
(h d~urd this to hC1 rcpeatcdly.
One <lay Ile said to hel': ""My child, it is ~ry wish to
~peak to thce by fe Tioly Sc1iptmeR, nn<l by them thon

25

THE FTIUITS OF YICTORY

wilt know My desires. I wish them to be the means of

teaching thee what I desire from thee for My glory and
that of My saints, for thy salnltion and that of thy neighbor. I spoke to the people in para~les and rarely withont
p:uables did 1 speak. And, as for thee, 3ly well-beloYed,
I wish to instrnct thee in ..\Iy designs b~r the Seri IJtures,
and by them to reyeal to thee )ly intention, and to explain
to thee mysteries which are most adorable and most hidden
from the minds of men.m
The numerous and admirable writings of l\f other de
:Jiatel, from first to last, sh\v the realization of this promise. As one of her bio t:i0 Ta1)hers yerT" Justlv savs: "Thev are
a tissue of texts from the old and the new Testament. She
does not receive a communication from her Divine Spouse,
paint a picture of a situation, or express a sentiment, without qnoting passages of our Roly Books to support or
c'o mplete her thought.m
Such knovdedge and precise use of the Scriptures are
eYidently abo-\e all the natural powers of the memory or
understanding of a human mind. The "Titings themselves
of the venerable ~lother are eloquent witnesses of their
inspiration. She _has presented the difficult sides of mysteries pertaining to faith and morality, with rigorous
orthodoxy, 3 which, in . turn, borrow from the Scriptur es
their magnificence of style and graceful sh~pl i city.
"~ e dwell on this fact because it gives the reason for
tbe 'vonders which are its sequel, and because it shows,
from the beginning, from what authority Jeanne received
her mission.
The sacred texts, cited wHh such appositeness and profusion in the writings of Mother de l\Iatel, are given almost
exclusiYely 1n Latin. She was so yersed in the language
of the Church that when she expresses herself in French,
\Yords of Latin origin most frequently corne to her pen.
~

t.I

tl

tl

1Autograph ic Life, ch. X.

2The Yenerable l\Iother Jeanne de :\:Iatel, by t he Abb Penaud, vol.
I, ch . III.
3This estimate (sa.ving the reYerence due to the Church's clecision
\\"hich has not yet interYene<l) is that of numerous theologians of differPnt Orders from tlle d ays of :\lother cle l\Ia tel to onr own.

2G

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE MATEL

Frequently she finds it necessary to gallicize Latin words

in order to express her ideas in her mother tongue.
''Ordinarily," as she tells ns, "French terms have not
the gracefulness of the Latin of the Roly Scripture. rl'his
i:--; why it is hard for me to express my thoughts in Fl'Cnch
terirn; of which I never made any study, as, indee<l, I never
stndied any science except that of loving Y ou, my Divine
Love, \Vho have wished to be my Teacher.m
It was, above all, at the knowledge of this love that
~T esus aimed, in illumining the rnind of the happy couvert, and, when she realized that she understood the texts
of the Latin Missal, torrents of tears burst from her eyes.
8uch were the :first fruits of the new favor which was
superadded to those which had preceded. God gave ber
the joy of the gift of tears ! "My eyes had be{~ome fountains," she relates; "this gift of tears stayed with me for
several years and was a cause of great joy. rrhe unction
of the Spirit was so abnndant in my soul, that I found
myself wholly consecrated to Your love." 2
This was indeed a precious favor. But the goodness of
.J esus was not yet satisfied. "At the same time," she continues, "Y ou gave me the gift of prayer. I passed hours
and hours in mental prayer without one distraction. From
rhat day, You made me hate the things You hated, and love
the things You loved. rrhe world and its vanities were
placed under my feet. Solitude and silence were paradise
to me. Frorn that day I saw myself and my former inclinations transformed into Your desires." 3
A transformation so sudden and so complete was evi<lently the work of a powerful grace. To forewarn Jeanne
against th e risks which ber lrnmility might have to rnn on
ncconnt of His generosities, God willed to grant them to
1i e1 in snch a manner that it was absolutely clear they were
en t frely the effect of His munificence. Jeanne understood
fis once fo r all , and con stantly gave back to God the glory
fo r the gr eat things done by His infinite charity. From
<--

1A 11 tog-rnph ic Life, c h . XXI.

2lbidem.
3lhid e m, ch. X.

'l'HE FRUITS OF VICTORY

27

that tirne she intoned the song of gratitude and love which
to lier last breath she exhaled frorn her soul; she :filled the
pages she left to us, with the harmony of this same pious
hymn. The title of those pages is like a prelude to this
canticle of humility: Inventory of the graces which the
Divine Goodness lws given to me out of His pure liberality.
By the light of these "Titings jotted down as we shall
see, at the command of her superiors, we shall now follow
eT eanne, as she ri ses, step by step, to the highest summi ts of
contemplation and virtne.
From her entry into these paths of prayer, we feel that
he1: progress will not be of the ordinary kind. Her march
forwarcl is guided by Rim 'Vl10 has placed her in these
higher ways and He will be her only Teacher.
''Divine and charitable Love," she exclaims, "Yon Yourself wished to conduct me to the mount of myrrh aud the
bill of incense. Y ou taught me mental prayer and led me
into the solitude of the soul. Having made me a mystic
bee, You made me gather from Y our sacred mysteries and
the Roly Scriptures, -the honey of a thousand thoughts.m
The mysteries of His Passion were the first lessons taught
by the Incomparable Doctor to His Disciple, and so during
the :first year He made her conceive an extreme horror
for sin.
The following year, He united her to His sufferings by
such penetrating compassion that she could not sufficiently
admire the effects of this grace: She says: "I felt myself
trans:figured and transformecl into Your sorrows. In the
garden, I sweated; at the pillar I felt the blows of the whi1)
that eut You; at the carrying of the Cross I seemed to carr:y
it with Yon, and on Calvary, I was cruci:fied with You." 2
On Good Friday, at the moment when the preacher of
the Passion pictured Our Lord with head b\vecl down
giving up the ghost, she felt herself so strongly attracted to
follow Him that she wns about to reathe her last. But
God gave her to understand that it was His will for her
~till to d well in this world~ to procme His glory and the
1Autogrnphic Life, ch. XVIII.
2A u tographic Life, ch. XII.

28
~alvation

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAilD DE l\IATEL

of many souls. 'l"'he next day, Iloly Saturdny,

she so slrnred the sorrows of the Blessed Mother that Rev.
Father Irenaeus of the Order of Capuchins, who was preaching on the Compassion of l\fary, conld not help notici11g her
in the audience and was struck by the deathlike pallor of
her face. She appeared to him such a strHdng image of
the :Mother of Sorrows that, as he gazed at her, he could
not help exclaiming: Ecce ~ff ater! "Behold the Mother !"
J esus aftenYards made her penetrate more deeply the
mystery of His Cross. He inundated her soul with lights
on that masterpiece of His Divine 'Visdom which knew how
to draw from death the source of life; from humiliation,
triumph; from poverty, wealth; from obedience, a kingdom
without end. Moreove1, the glory of the Cross which she
adored as the triumphal chariot of her amiable King, appeared to her so august, that, like St. Paul, she could not
glory in anything but the Cross of Jesns Christ.
Her actions coincided 'vith her feelings and sentiments.
She was avid for sufferings and humiliations. At the
thought of the blood he1 God had shed to save her soul and
win her heart, she burned to pour out her own for love of
Him. Having no hope to offer it up to Him by martyrdom,
she made it ftow nnder redoubled blows of her severe disciplines. ~rhe furnitnre and floor of her oratory received the
imprints of these holy ansterities. Nothing else could satisfy her. Shc fasted frcqn ently and wore a sort of hafr
skirt. woven from cords and iron books which to1e he1
shoulders. Her fecble and delicate constitution conld not
have long snstaincd sn ch penances. Her directors, whom
she had not heretoforc thonght to consnlt abont these practices, took information, and restrained ber ansterities.
'rhese mocle1ations we1e a real snffering for h~1._ 1'101e over, she became i11ge11ions in replaci11g fo1hiddeu 11rncc1atious by m01tiftcntions not less admirahlr.
Madame <le Mate] had ~d lwr hcart 011 giying her danghte1s an edncation that " oul<l be th01011gh and practicnl.
Rhe, therefore, had them iTaiBt>d in the mt of housekeeping,
and assigned thcm to the varions ho11sehold dnties. She
ernp1oycd sc1vmli:s foi the w01k in the fields, in 01dcr that

'l'HE FRUITS OF VICTORY

29

her daughters might learn to care for and govern a home.

But whether from a predilection for her eldest daughter, or
rather from having understood that the Lord had given to
this child of grace the part of l\f~ry, this admirable motber
generally dispensed her from the occupations of l\fartha.
Jeanne, however, was clever in fin ding a way to work as
much as her sisters, and to reserve for herself the more
fatiguing and menial kinds of housework. She thus contrived to have hot water brought to the place where the
bread was baked in order that she rnight wash the dishes in
secret.
'Vhile Jeanne gave herself up to humble services of this
kind, her soul \Yas overflowing \vith joys and lights. If
she went to the well to draw water, she was ravished by
the memory of the charity of J esus while waiting for the
sinful woman at the well of tJacob. She felt inebriated with
~he living water which He promised to that Samaritan
woman, and, in a transport, besought Him to give it to her
forever.
Her tender l\laster had a greater desire to inundate her
soul with His graces than she had to receive them. Sorne- .
times the memorv of her faults caused her to withdraw
herself from thes~ consolations. Our "Lord seemed to suffer
from these resistances and He reproached her for them. He
said: "l\ly daughter, I love mercy more than sacrifice. Thy
thoughts are as far from l\fine as earth from Heaven. l\fy
thoughts for thee are thoughts of peace and joy. Thine are
thought~ of war and affliction for sins which I have plunged
into the sea of My precious blood and which l\fy infinite
charity has not only covered and sunk, but destr_o~' ed, so
that they no longer e.xist. Receive l\1y graces with Innnility
and gratitude; suffer l\le to love thee and to delight in
pouriug forth on thee the overftow of the torrents of l\Iy
g-oodness." She c011tin11es: " Seeing that my tearR had been
dried by the ardor of Yom love whieh had made me Rlwd
them, I consented to Yom plemmre: A byssus abyssum iu.
{~
.
vor:at ni voce caractarum tuaruni : omnw excclsa tua et
fluctus tui snpcr mr transicrnnt. 1 "Abyss calleth 011 abyss
1\

lPs. 41 , 8.

30

LIFE OF' .J EANNID CHIDZARD DID l\1ATEL

at the voie~ of thy fioodgates. Ail thy heights and thy

billows have passed over me." Since it pleases You that the
abyss of my sins must attract the abyss of Your mercies,
and that my sins must be swallowed up in the ocean of
Your loving goodness, I adore Your excesses and Jose myself in them.m
On this point, ~Teanne became resigned. But another
conftict, a combat of love and generosity, was fought between her and her liberal Benefactor. How could she feel
herself so loved and see herself so loaded with favors, and
not multiply her deeds of gratitude? Yet, what can she
give to her God, what can He do with ~vhat she gives? If
He has no need of aught for Himself, yet He has said:
"'Vhat yon do to the Ie.ast of Mine, you do to Me." These
words infiame her heart with charity. She becomes the distributor of her mother's gifts to the poor, and, by her gentle
pleadings, she multiplies these alms. She imposes privations on herself: three times a week, she adroitly manages
that the dishes servecl to herse.If be given to the poor. She,
moreover, takcs up collections to assist them more abun. dantly. -nrreathed in modesty which renders the graces of
a young maiden of t'yenty years more attractive, she goes
from door to door, accompanied by a respectable lady-friend,
to beg alms for the poor.
Corporal needs of her neighbor, however, were not those
tlrnt most aroused her zeal. She had the interests of God
and souls so mnch at heart that, Iike the Apostle, she seemed
to have solititnde for an the clrnrches. She addressecl herself to the saints of the Clrnrch triumphant, and conjured
them to praise Gocl for her; in return, she presented to the
Divi11e l\Iajesty her prayers and good works for the increase
of their aceidental glo1y. She offerccl 11nmerous snffrages
fol' the relief of the souls of the Church snffe1ing; in the
:u'<lm of hcr compassion, she implorcd the favm of e11dnring
fei1 paim~, in OIder thnt thcy might hc delive1ed from them.
Hile multiplicd he1 supplications in hchnlf of O.ie mcmbers
of the Chnn~ h militant. She implorcd the divine mercy to
11\ u togra phi c

Life, cl1. XIV.

'l'HE FRUITS

011~

VICTORY

31

give the life of grace to those who were deprive of it, and
to increase it in those who already possessed it.
To aid souls in their countless needs, she exhausted all
the formulas of prayer. Every day she recited the office of
the Blessed l\fother and that of the Roly Ghost, as well as
the gradual psahns and the rosary. On Montlay, she added
the office of the dea. ~I'hese were only the short forms of
her intercession. Her prayer began with the dawn and
lasted till n'i ght. No external occupation could interrupt
it or distract he1 mind from the presence of God, or ber
heart from His love, for "she could no longer love anything
but Him in all things and all things in Him.m
As this love for God increased, the virtues were admirably de,Teloped. The sight of ber nothingness became so
clear, the feeling of ber impotence so deep, that Jeanne
could not rely on berself for the smallest things. Nevertheless, her courage 'vas not thus lessened. True l~mnility .
. so far from weakening H, on the contrary multiplied it tenfold. Hoping nothing from herself, she hped all fro1n the
goodness of God, and the more incapable and feeble shc felt
herself, the more she relied on the infinite power "Thich sbe
kne-\v could never fail her. rrhis confidence carried her to
the height of magnanimity. If she" saw that God might be
offended, she refrained from nothing that could prevent this
evil. Sbe confesses that, ;voung and timid as she was, outside of sin, she feared nothing created.
The ardor of her faith equaled the firmness of her hope.
To ber, revealed truths appeared luminously evident. To
believe them was one of the great delights of her soul. She
often repeated in a sweet transport: Testinwnia tua credi7Jilia facta sunt niniis. "'I'hy testimonies have been made
exceedingly "Torthy of belief." 2
On a foundation so broad and solid, a vast and sumptuons edifice can be raised. The Supreme Architect will now
construct this temple with magnificent layers of precioul':
~toues.
\Ye shall follmv the progress of this masterpiece,
withont stopping to study its marvels. ~ri1 ~ ~~,~en~;able
iAutographic Life, ch. XIII.
XCII, 5.

~Ps.

32

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

Mother, who will be our guide, while recording the graces

she received, did not profess to elaborate a treatise on
praye1. As the tit1e of her antobiography indicates, she
made an inventory of the divine mercies, and she relates them
to Him 'Vl10 lavished them on ber. In the course o-f her
recital, she thanks Him, "as He knows that she does the
utmost violence to herself to write this book of ber life, He
furnished the words which reveal His liberalities.m In f act,
she narrates them in terms which experienc alone can
supply, and she depicts them in colors which render them intelligible to all, in spite of their prodigious elevation.
Humbly, therefore, with this pious l\1other, shall we attempt
to make an inventory of the riches imparted to her by her
generous Benefactor. After admiring so many munificences, we shall the more easily comprehend the sublimity
of the mission for which God predestined her.
1Autographic Life, C'h. XX.

,.

CHAPTER IV
The Ascent to the Highest Mystic Summits

1618-lGlD
Before we contemplate the snccessfre ascents by which,
eYen during the days of her earthly pilgrimage, this great
soul will be carried into the bosom of God, it is not untimely to remark that if it is not given to all to rise to
these heights, all can dra\Y from these recitals new lights
on the lo-ve our Divine Savior has for souls. If God does
not bestow on all the same testimonials of His love, because
His designs on all are not the same, it is certain that the
advances, the devices, and even the prodigies of His grace
by which He insures, for each one, the infinite happiness of
Hearnn, will be througbout eternity the subject of astonishment and thanksgiYing, eYerl after the proofs of His incomparable love giYen to all in His Incarnation, in His
death and in the Holy Eucharist.
Jeanne has tolcl us th~t her Divine Preceptor taught her
how to make mental prayer and to cull frorn His sacred
mysteries and the Scriptnres a thousand holy thoughts.
For a time He applied her mind to the considera tion of the
truths of faith and taught her how to penetrate these truths,
without the aid of discursive reasoning~ by simple sight and
a pure intention which filled her with light and joy. It
was the gift of infused contemplation, that S\Yeet elevation
of the soul unto God, b:~ God Himself. "You ga-ve me the
part of 11ary," she says, and ha\e not taken it away. From
beams of light which radiated from Your Dfrine face and
insinuatecl tbemsel\es into my mind, there proceecled an
enlightenment which eleYated my soul into admirable contemplations. As :Jlagclalen was troubled about nothing, so
rny spirit d \Yelt in Your presence, to hear Your dfrine word
and at Your will walked with Yon among Your own marYels. In this sweet contemplation _I found the one thing
33

ST. MARY'S SEM IN ARY LIBRARY

Perryvl lie, M Issou ri

34

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DID MATEL

necessary w hich l\lar.r chose and which is naught else but

You, 0 my AIL'n
Thus interior1y delighted and endowed with recollec
tion by her good l\faster, Jeanne experiences to what an exteut Be is the Guest and l~elicity of her heart. 'l'his sweet
expmience condncts her to the prayer of quietu<le, in which
t lie ~ou], finding its well-beloved intimately present within
itself, can do naught else but stay near Him in ineffable
repose and peace. 'Vhen she speaks of this favor, she multiplies expressions to portray the happiness which she enjoys.
Her heart a ppears to her to be like a deligh tful garden w here
the fairest flowers grow and abound, because Ile Who is
the fount of the water of life is in its center from which
tlows the river of peace. She compares the powers of her
soul to bees running after the odor of the perfumes of their
sovereign King vVhose blessed presence, like an aromatic
wine, attracts them into the hive of His Sacred Heart. She
corresponded to this grace with fervor, and rarely absented
herself from the companionship of her good l\f aster.
He was satisfied, and to testify this to her, He allowed
her a glimpse of the designs of His love. He said to her:
'"l'hou art My faithful Israelite. In thee sha11 I glorify
~Iyself.m
At this prospect of glorifying Him, she exulted
with joy and felt herself still more recollected. Our Lord
explained Himself further: "I built My dweUing in thy
soul which is to l\fe an agreeable desert, because it lovingly
lodges no one bnt l\fyself.-There I Jay a foundation so deep
that future generations will be able to subsist. and dwell
there with security." 3
But all this remained a mystery to her, and, as she remarks, gave her no idea of the Ortler which He wished to
fonnd through her.
Like the sponse of the Canticle of Canticles, Jeanne
ha<l found Him \Vhom she loved. He was in the middle of
hcr hcmt. Also like that spom.;e, her soul melted with
happi11e~s and love wheu He caused lier to hear His voice.
1Autographic Life, ch. XIX.
2Ibiem.
:llhicl e m, ch. XX.

THE ASCE~T TO THE HIGHES'I' ::-.lYSTIC SU:ll:\lITS

35

")Iy heart melts," she says, "as soon as You speak to it;
it melted and fiowed into You more times than my tangue
can tell. Y ou made it like wax, ready for all Y our desires .
...'-1-S soon as my heart feels Y our flames, i t is melted in the
middle of my breast and dilating, submits to Your desires.m
Yiani manflatorum tuonun cucurri cUJn dila-tasti cor meinn. 2
This dilated hcart liquified at the breathings of grace. received delightful wounds from Divine Love who bent His
bow to let many a shaft fly into her heart. At every moment, Divine Love made her feel His look so lovingly fixed on
her that His regard transfixed her like an arrow, and made
ber His capth'e.
"Your bow," she says, "was the continuous attention that
You showed me. The light from Your eyes so wounded me
that T could haYe said t9 You: Turn Your eyes away from
me! They make so many breaches in my poor heart tha t
my soul almost goes out through these loving apertures." 3
~1other de )fatel makes a remark which is consoling for
souls whose love the Divine Master purifies by trials. "The
tlarts," she says, "'Yhich the "\Vell-beloT"ed secretly shoots, are
painful and incurable as long as He is absent. But the
souls which receive them, enjoy a sweet sorrow. Although
they do not see the hand that wounds them, it is the hand
of loYe.""' Snch a lasting memory of Him for \Yhose absence they weep, although harrowing, is still a grace. If it
does not bring to the soul light and comfort, it neyertheless
increases strength and purity.
In Jeann~s case, Lm"e did not stop with these first darts,
but took her heart, so to say, by assault, and infiamed it.
As for the arrows, they pass with their flames, but that
bolt of fire forms a wheel and seems to place the body and
the spil-it on the rack.': 5 Etcnim sagittae tuae transeunt)
vox tonitrui t ui in rota. G Sometimes she saw herself asL\utographic Life, ch. XX.
~I ha.-e run the wa~ of Yo.ur comman dments when Y ou h aYe dilatec1
my heart.
( Ps. C XYIII , 3 ~. )
3.-\utographic L ife, ch. XXII .
-tibidem .
5l bidem, ch . XXIII.
_
GFo r T hy a rrows p as s : t he Yoice of T hy t h u nde r in a " hee l. (P ~
'6, 18.)
.

36

LJl!'E Ojj' JEANNE CHEZAI-W DE l\lA'l'EL

sailed, besieged, so that she seemed about to expire. Her

pulse beat violently and her whole body quivered. But this
dj-vine torture was delightful, and, for nothing in the world,
would she have wished to be delivered from it. She could
ask her Besieger only to widen the breach which He had
-made and through which she had already perceived the
light of the celestial city. "Love has pity," she adds, "and
is not slow to appease, by a river of joy and peace, the burning it has caused."
"After these assanlts You enter gloriously, not to
take booty, but to be Yourself the booty. Your spouse is
too poor and Yon combat to save. Yon demand nothing in
orcler to give all; You ask from the Samaritan woman a little
water to give ber the fount of the living water which leaps
up into life eternal. Having started a ' fire in the beart of
Your lover, Yon produce there a sea of delights, and You
are there, You, Yourself, in Your plenitude. You put the
~oul into a saered repose in which the body has a gooclly
share. As it has suffered weariness so Yon make it feel in
repose, as far as it can~ the delights of Your lov8. Both
soul and body tlrnnk Yon for the feast You have gjven thflm
after having rescued them from fire and water.m
From the midst of these ftames, the flight of her soul
towards God becmne more vehement. Her powers felt themselves drawn into ITirn, in a way which was irresistible but
indescribable. 'Vhen she attempts to speak of them, she
iepeats: Non Nd sermo in Un.qua 11wa. ''rI1ere is no word
on my tongne." (Ps. OXXXVIII 4.) If we find it impossible to penetrate into the center of the splenclors into which
_ <1od draws her, when wc read her words we feel onrselves
f'loser to the fnrnace of life and light in which she delightfn 11.v loses herself. " 'Vhen the faculties of the soul," she
~ays, "me elevated by these violent attractions, Yon direct
the will from which these facnlties seek to free themselves.
8peech is almo~t irnpo~8ible, the i011f?;11c is powp1leRR. 'rl1e
'I know iwt whither Yon aie leading
sonl ~nv8
. meBfallv:
.,
'
rne.' TH ih0se snsppu~icrns, Ood ieaehPs the ~0111 to adme
Ilim i11 spiiit ~md nth. At timP~ He Clltertaius it through
I J\uto g rnplJi c Life, ch.

' xx1n.

THE ASCENT 'l'O TlIE HlGHEST ~IYSTIC SU~Bll'l'S

37

angels, and in their presence He discloses wonderful secrets.

Other times, He speaks w"itbout intermediary, uniting to
Himself the intellect, enlightening it with His own light;
enkindling His fire in the vdll, which He drmys to Himself,
after the admirable knmYledge He has imparted to the understanding. 'I'hese commlmications and operations no
tongue can express.ni
.Jemme saw her adorable Guide leading he1 step by step
to those summits of contemplation where Heaven borders
on eai-th. On the feast of St. Thomas, in the year 1618, she
passed in a sublime rapture, the last ascent. A powerful
attraction inYites her to prayer; she yielcls to it and finds
her S!Jirit so forcibly eleYa ted that it seems near quitting
ber body. She seemingly becomes frigid and Iifeless. She
th us relates: '"The combat between the spirit and the bod~1
wa,s Yery great. For the body clid not "~ish to release the
si)irit, and the spirit had difficulty in quitting the body;
but the force that drew the spirit was so potent that the
spirit could not, sbould not resist. I t heard the word.
' C1011J"age/ which was erncacious eliough to cause it to resolve
to quit the body, and it saicl: Infelix ego quis me libeJ"abit
de corpore mortis llltjus! '"Unbappy that I am, who shall
deliver me from the body of this death "?" (Rom. VII, 24.)
)ly Lord and my God, giye me the power to go to You." 2
Her prayer was grantecl in a manner both sweet and
diYine. The Spirit of Goodness put ber into a perfect repose and communicated to her His seven gifts.
These gifts appeared to ber as seven different, luminous
fol'lns, spiritual forms unknown to human ken. "Tbese
forms ," she says, 'are the hidden sacraments of God." 3
Jeanne tastecl ineffable delights. She would have wished
neYer to be recalled from this rapture, but she recefred from
the DiYine )faje~ty the order to return to redYify her body.
Tt was cold and almo:-;t l'igid. She fclt Hll nnspeakable
iepngnance to reanirna te it. I t seemed to her no more than
an insnpportalJle lJurclen, a sad prison far away from her
L\ u t ographic Life, ch. XXI V.
~ Ib i rl e m , c h. XX \T.
3l b iclern.

38

LIU'E OU' JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\f ATEL

home, and, therefore, hated it as the cause of her banishment. If she had not known that, during its exile, it is the
instrument of the sovereign Master of life and death, "She
would have tated it with all the rigors which indiscreet
zeal can invent.m
~Phe effects of this first rapture were marvelous.
It
wrought in Jeanne such a complete transformation that she
no longer recognized herself. I t especially impressed on
her soul a great contempt for earth, an ardent longing for
Heaven. Ali that here below is called wealth, beauty, bliss,
seemed to her viler than dust. To live in this dreary world,
after ha ving tasted celesfial beatitude, became intolerable.
J esus exhorted her to take life patiently. To make this
resigna tion easier, He often took her a way from her exile
and caused her to pass some blessed, swiftly gliding moments amid the joys of her heavenly country. "Dear Love,"
she writes, "one can see from the narrative which I have
made as true as I can, the nature of the raptures and ecstasies which I experienced as gifts of Your -wise goodness.
Ordinarily, raptures are in the understandiug which is rapt
into Y our admirable light, and ecstasies a1~e in the will
which is :fired with Your lovable flames. You are the Beautiful and the Good, the beautiful for the mind and the good
for the will.
"This distinction which I make between ra ptures and
ecstasies, does not forbid to call ecstasies raptres or raptures ecstasies. The understanding can rise and go out
above itself by goodness, and the will can be rapt and drawn
up out of itself by beauty. Beauty and goodness cause rapture and ecstasy in the Spou se in this life. Ligh t suspends
the understanding, mid heat dilates the will which voluntal'ily goes out after these ftames. Love has as its specialty
to take the sonl ont of that which it animates, to bear or
draw it to what it loves. Love is eestatic. 'r'he soul that
knows ihnt Yon love it, gocs out of itself to enter into You
who m<l ~ove1cig1ily lovahle. Findi11g Yon immense, it
wislte8 io quit it~ limitPd dwelling so as to have its extenRion in Yonr immensity. Yon have asked the Father that
tAutn~Fnphic

Life, ch. XXV.

THE ASCENT '1'0 THFJ HIGHES'l' MYSTIC SU~Il\'ll'l'S

39

as You, by love, went out from Him to corne to men, so

men may go ont of themselves by love, and that that love
may lead them to Y ou by sacred ecstasies. ~rhis is why th~
Spouse says: Dilcc:tus meus mihi et ego iffi. "My Reloved to
me and I to Him.m ( Cant. II, 16.)
Only a divine experience could have dictatd these lines.
With surprising prodigality Our Lord effectively granted to
Jeanne the graces of which she speaks with such clearness.
Her existence became a chain of raptures and ecstasies.
"Dear Love," she says, ''for several years my life was a continuons ecstasy. You often said tome that I no longer lived
in myself but in You, that it was Your pleasure to be my
Iife and that I should long to die to myself and to all that
is created, in order to live in You." 2
These multiplied f avors fortified her soul, but weakened
hep body. She became dried up, burnt out by the fiames
which devoured her heart. For the space of several years,
she had to endu1e long and painful maladies. Fevers, which
were either tertian or continuous, consumed ber. She was
not ignorant of their cause which, however, she was on her
guard not to disclose. Indifferently she accepted all the
remedies which were presribed for her by the physicians.
Her case was very perplexing to them. "The fire which
You enkindled in my bosom was so intense that it was like
a furnace whicb was continually blazing. l\fy blood was
boiling as the physicians said. Two contraries troubled
them in ordering various kinds of medicine which my
stomach could support. When they gave me remedies
that were heating, they increased my burnings, and when
they ordered those that were cooling, they weakened my
stomach. But as the heat in my blood surpassed the coldness of my stomach, they necessarily gave and still give
remedies which are refreshing, to moderate the fiames
which Your goodness, 0 Divine Love, came to enkindle in
my heart, without any merit of mine. I can say with truth
that I have contributed very little to the.se ardors and -that
it is Your cbarity which is corne to cast this fire into me,
1Autographic Life, ch . XXVII.
2lbidem. ch. XXVIII.

40

LIFE OF' .JEANNE CHEZAilD DE l\IA'.rEL

making it ardent according to Your desire. Dear Lor,

continue to the end, and, if it pleases You, make me a perfect holocaust.m
When her sufferings iuereased, Our Lord redoubled His
tenderness. .He gave her snch great graces that she did not
wish to be relleved from her ills. The flame of love in which
she was consumed, thus grew ever more vehement. From
the midst of these flames she often seemed on the point of
taking flight into eternal llfe. One evening, while re.citing
the last psalm of Lands, and conjuring all creatures with
her to praise their Divine Author, on arriving at the words:
Let every spirit pra1se the Lord, Omnis spiritus lattdet Dominmn (Ps. CL. 5), she felt her soul and her lips ready to go unimpeded, to praise in Heaven Him \Vhom she loved so much.
'fhese boundless desires to praise God were, at the same
tne, her life and her martyrdom. Her spirit conld be
occnpied with nothing but the divine praises. Her mouth
opened only to uttcr them. On recalling these hynrns of
praise she seemed as if "her whole interior and her very
marrow melted as balsam which heat dissolves, or as incense
cast on bnrning coals." 2 Her heai-t was like an arrow shot
from the bow and i ts swiftness seemed snrpassed by the
flight of her soul towards God. In the excess of her happiness she cried out: "Enough, 0 Lord, I am dying of delights: my heart is ready to burst with joy, and break
through my very breast.m

A moment came when our seraphic virgin had no longer

sufficient strength to live at the same time both her earthly
life and her su1Je11rntnral life. This is but an occasion for
the most sublime of favors, one which is the crowning of all
the othe1s, and which will re-el4fablish the eqnilibrinm between the facnlties of the spirit and those of the body. 'Ve
gi ve ber own words:
" As i t was Yom good plcasnrc, 0 Lord, to be the l\Icdt tor betwee11 God and man, Yon wished to hold th i8 omcc
hetwcc11 my body and my soul; bctwecn the pmt whieh i~
1.A utogr a p h ic Ufc, c h. X XVIII.
:!A u l og r ap hi c Li f e , c h . XXX .
:n hi<l N n .

THE ASCEXT TO THE IlIGHEST JIYSTIC SUJDlITS

J]

inferior and that 'Yhich is superior: I cannot express thi~

better than by saying that You separate the soul from thl'
~pirit, I mean to say. that soul which has kinship \Yith that
of the animals. from the spiritual soul which reasons with
the angels and which is made to Your image and likeness.m
The foll'\Ying are the facts. In the e\ening of the first
Sunday after the Epiphany, in the year 1619, an all-powerful
attraction calls her to her oratory. She obeys the call. There
God manifests Himself as the :Jionarch and So\ereign Rule1
of every spfrit. rnaking war to secure peace. In His pres
ence. she fincls all her faculties suddenly assailed. This produces trouble. coufusion. reYolt. Amazecl. she asks herself
what this can be. She does not know who are the assailm1ts or the assailed. Her will imrnecliately rises up in protest: ~. :Jiy King. Ill.' God. I cannot know who are on Yom
siqe. I place m:self with those who combat for justice and
I gfre no consent to the rebellion of the enern,\.~
The combat rages without her being able to recognize
the cornbatants. But all at once she hears the cry of \C
tory, .. -n~ho is like to God.'' Quis ut Deus? "At these word:;..
of the Generalissimo of Your armies~ .. she says... Y our enernies were ovend1elmed. yanqnished. and put to flight. The
inferior po,Yers of my rnul had been put in their lowly
}Jlace. The superior powers of my spirit had been exalted
and placed in the lofty to\Yer of the diYine protection and
the enemy could uo longer approach it. Then, 0 my LoYe.
too condescending. I rnake bold to say i t, Yon offered it the
ctown, naming it the queen. "-hile St. :Jiichael with all hi:;..
angels sang with a raYishing silence: Sanctus, Sanctus.
Sanctus. :Holy: Holy. Holy.' It may be astonishing thai
T expressed this Trisagion by a silence. I t is because the
angels speak by thought in a wa~- "-hich ne term here below
can express.~'
Seeing that she was the abject of such diYine Iiberality,
.Jeanne pro~nates her:'elf and w~hes to refuse the crown.
But )Iichael. still n~iug the angelic lauguage. makes he1
undel'~tand that her refu~al~, coming -from a ue realiza2

IA u t o g- raphk Life. c h . XXX.

:.!.-\ u to :;r a phie Li f e , ch . XXX I.

42

LIFE OF' JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

tion of her nothingness, are in no way displeasing to thP

Sovereign King, but that His infinite love, taking pleasurP
jn allowing her to participate in the triumph to which she
has contributed by the protest of her will, desires that she
accept it humbly and lovingly. She obeys and the God of
all goodness bestows upon lier glory and ineffable delights.
He then says to her: "My well-beloved daughter, what I
have effected this evening is the separation of the spirit, or
pmvers which are superior, from the soul or powers which
are inferior. Henceforth, My daughter, while occupied with
external affairs you will receive My grace so that the atten-.
tion which I desire will not be thereby diverted. You will
be able to see and enjoy l\fe, without being rapt into ecstasies and without the pains which raptnres cause to the
body.m
"rhile these celestial prodigies were being accomplished,
honrs had passed on the earth. She thought to withdraw
so as not to undnly retard her mother's rest, for in her wish
to watch over the sleep of her dear daughter, Madame de
:M atel obliged her to sleep in the materna! room. But she
heard the words: lnclinavi Cactis. "My daughter, I have
bowed down the heavens for thee. Since l\fy wisdom has not
judged it proper to place thy spirit entirely in glory, the
love that the Trinity has for thee, induces It to dwell in
thy soul, in a manner which is adorably admirable, so that,
by enjoyh1g Our company, thou mayest not grow weary in
this valley of miseries, where, without Our companionship,
thou wouldst live a life of sufferjng languors. l\fy daughter,
he 'vho has God has all. Sinre He suffi.ces for Himself, He
can sn ffice for thee." 2
This snpreme gift was not revoked. "From that moment,
I fonnd myself accompanied by Your splendors which are
Your Threc Divine Pc1sons \Vho have never since quitted
me. It was thil'ty-one ycar8 ago that Yon did me this favor.
If sorne <lays of these years have been veiled, the partial
dep1ivation of these splendors was designed to impress me
l A u t ogra pli ic Li fc,
2Ibi d e m .

cl 1.

XXXI.

THE ASCENT TO 1'HE HIGHEST l\IYSTIC SUl\11\IITS

43

with the realization of the felicity I enjoyed by their possession.m

This habitual preseuce of the 'l'1inity in the center of the
soul _; this separation of the inferior pait of the soul and the
superior powers, whose superior part rernains continually
occupied with the sight ancl love of the Sovereign Good and
finds again all Hs liberty to carry on the work of God.these, say the mystic theologians, are the marks of the most
elevated state which souls eau reach in this life. They
affirm that it is to souls who have reached this degree, that
God confides the accomplishment of His highest missions.
He had predestiried Jeanne de Ma tel to serve as His instrument in 'the realization of a new plan of loYe. After He has
prepared her for this mission, by grace, prayer, and the
practice of the virtues, she finds herself perfectly ready. He
will now begin to unveil to her His adorable designs.
1Autographic Life, ch. XXXI.

CHAPTER V
First Manifestations of the Designs of God

161.9-1G20
Jeanne de l\fatel was now twenty-three years of age. Om
Lord, 'VI10 had conferred on her such sublime lights, had
not as yet revealed the designs which He had concerning:
her. In the course of the year 1Gl9, He sketched their first
ontlines.
In a symbolic vision she sees a crown of thorns suspended from rays as luminous as those of the sun. These
rays are so admfrably attached to the thorns that they blend
in one. ri-'he infinite distance which exists between a radiant
sun and branches of thorns woven into a crown, does not
hinder them .from forming a unit. She gazes at this prodigy.
and adores it, for she is tught that this is a figure of the
Person of the 'Yord allied to human nature in the unity of
Person . She is asked to be the standard bearer of this
'Vord thus hnmanized. She accepts, ''hopi11:g that He will
carry her who wishes to carry this sacred burden, by His
order and for His glory.m She then sees this sacred standard planted in the center of lier heart; J esus assures her
that many will follow her and :fight valiantly for the glory
of His adorable N ame whirh she will carry thronghout the
\vhole earth. He promises to make her a n ew legislatrix
of the laws of His love.
,
Sorne time afterwards, another mysterious vision con firms her in this mission of legislatrix. She sees a colunm
snrronnded by JHUchments on which are written, in admirable characters, the marvels of the law of Divine Love and
the in effable name of the \Vord. She receives a promise that
at th e moment indieated by Providence, shc will extend the
g-101,v of tha t Na me. She is shown compasses . to measn rc
1i\ 11 t ogT:1 ph ic L ife, c h . X XX I .

44

FIRST lUAN IFESTAT JONS OF THE DESIGNS OF GOD

4:J

the lands in which He is to be adored. As l\loses was the

ambassador of the Most High for the J ews, so will she be
His interprete1 to a d10sen peo1)Ie. Gocl 'dll make he1 the
"fabernacle, the A1k of the Covenant, from which He will
gi 're forth His oracles.
Now that the divine plans have been accomp1ished it is
easy to pierce the mystery of these symbols.
The mind of Jeanne de Ma tel did not entertain the
slightest idea that God called her to found a new Order.
She dreamed only of her future in a Carmelite cell. Only
there would she escape from all that would hamper her communications with God. It was most painful to her to walk
the seets of Roanne after a rapture at the Eucharistie
feast. I t was a hardship for her to converse with creatures
when the Lord called her to His delightful colloquies. She
~poke as little as possible to the inmates of her paternal
home, for often when she came from prayer the:y sa'y an
aureole of light envelope her brow. I t is little wonder that
she ardently sighecl for the solitude and silence of the
c1oistr. Rad she consnlted only ber own attractions she
would undoubteclly haYe entangled herself in fruitless experiments. But the DiYine 1Iaster \Yh?. led her,, did not
leaye her without visible guides. The true lights of obedience hindered her from entering on false routes.
'Ye have not spoken of the direction with which Jeanne
was provided. Sorne years before the time of which we are
now treating~ a noble Christian, l\lr. de Chenevoux, eldest
brother of the celebrated .J esuit Father Cotton, had endowed
the eity of Roanne with a college under the directin of the
Fathers of the Society of Jesus. 1 Their zeal and their experience in gui ding souls are well known. Jeanne de l\l a tel
had them as direetors. For a long time they had knowledge
onlv
of the vestibule of the sanctuarv
of which she bad made
,.,
"'
them the gu ~rdians. 'ro snbmit to their control the interior
lT he tw o broth e 11s were so n s of Guichard Cotton, Lord of Che n e Youx, who was th e head of an old family of Roannais. The seconct
so n , Peter. was bor n on 1\'I arch 7. 1564, near Roanne at Herone of
which his fn th er was the chatelain. He en tere d th e novitiate of the
Soc~ety of Jesus on September 30, 1 583. and died on l\farch 19 . 1626.

46

LIFE OF .JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

attractions she had experienced or the celestial communications she had received, had never entered ber thoughts.
Rcverend Father Cotton had greatly contributed to the
ie-establishment of his Order in France. He had been the
confessor of Henry IV and of Louis XIII. He was now
devoting himself to the evangelization of the southern
provinces of the Kingdom. He frequently visited the .city
of Roanne. On one of these occasions Jeanne entered a
confessional which he occupied. His "sweetly ardent" words
so captivated the chosen soul kneeling at his feet, that, without any hesitation, Jeanne manifests her whole soul to him.
''I avow," she relates, "that he was the first confessor to
whom I ever declared the mercies which God had vouchsafed
to me. By his sweetness he inspired with confidence the
most timid souls.m Father Cotton was as learned as he
was holy. He immediately discerned the eminent virtue of
his penitent and the great favors of which she was the
recipient. He prevailed upon her to become a member of
an association of prayer which he had organized. It included several persons who were renowned for sanctity,
among whom were Miss de Conche and Sister Mary of
Valence, and he promised to pray for her specially "six
times every day." Each time this worthy priest visited
Roanne, he was always glad to see her; he wrote her severa1 letters in which his humility was not less admirable
th an his zeal. The esteem was reci pro cal.
On January 13, 1625, Father Cotton arrivd at Roanne.
Many persons desired to speak to him. Jeanne Ieft to others the satisfaction of being the first to entertain him,
and
.,,,.
continued her prayers in which her soul was submerged
in sweetness of the divine love. Suddenly she perceived a
city built on a high mountain and fortified hy towers, bastions and bonlevm~ds; then she saw great silken nets coming down from Heaven.
'l'he following day, as she was assisting at the Mass of

the eminent religious, God gave her to nnderstand thnt

1A 11 to g rn phi c Li f e, ' c h . CLXX.

FIRST ~l.~IFESTA.TIOXS 01;., THE DESIGXS OF GOD

47

this Father is that city strengthened by powerful fortifications for the defense of the Church and the desuction
of its enernies. That the nets she saw are his words full
of eelestial sweetness by which he draws souls from the
sea of sin and brings tbem into the haven of salyation.
Father Cotton particularly inculcated in Jeanne devotion to St. Joseph. He himself, had it in an eminent degree. Doubtless, it was this de\otion that obtained for
him the pri\ilege of dying the death of the just, on the
feast of that august Patron of a happy death, 1Iarch 19,
1626.
Jeanne de ~Iatel, not only had the advantage of recei\ing in the holy tribunal the balm that dropped frorn
the heart and lips of this great religious, but she could
also drink in the eloquence which issued from the Christian pulpit.
This was a grea t pri\ilege which, howe\er, for a heart
bnrning like hers with cli\ine lo\e, was often changed into
a martyrdom. 'The words of Father Cotton were like cannon balls.:a \\~hat \olence she had to do herself to hide
the breach they mde upon her soul! The good Father
counseled her to implore God for strength so as not to
be disturbed by these interior lights. She considered her~elf a par.ticipant of the privilege of J esus \\Tho while a
tra\eler on the road of life ''as at the same time a possessor of the joys of Hea\eii. "I followed his counsel," she
adds, 'but begged him to solicit in my behalf that blessing which he obtainecl for me in abnndance from the infini te goodness.: 2 \Ye ha\e seen that this grace, one of the
greatest she e\er recefred, was already accorded her.
J eannes other directors, who succeeded Father Cotton.
had no trouble_in peu etrating her soul, limpid and sincere.
The ReYerend _Fathers Antoine Parot, Jean de Yillars,
Philip de ~Ieaux, and Xicholas Dupont successi\ely guided,
at Roanne. this fa,ored soul. But to ReY. Father Jacquinofs judgment all important questions were referred
1Autographic L ife. ch. CLXX.
2l bidem, ch. XXXI.

48

Llli'I~

OF .JEANNE C HEZAIW DE lHATEL

for final decision. 1 T'hi8 Father having come as P1~ovincial,

to make the visitation of the college of Roanne, was con ~
snlted hy the confessor of :Miss de Matel on the ma tter of
the extraordinary favors which had been accorded her. Rev.
Father ~Tacqninot was unwilling to make any decision before he himself had heard J eanne's te.stimony. He had
her called to the church where he questioned and examined
her according to all the rnles of consummate science and
prudence. She replied so naively to all his questions and
revealed with such simplicity, the ways by which Divine
Love guided her, that he had not the least doubt that she
was led by the Roly spirit. The excesses of goodness which
the Lord showed in this sonl, excited in him such a tram;port of admiration that he said to her: ''You must not
doubt that the Spirit of - God is the Author of all these
wonders, for they surpass all the capabilities of yol!r own
spirit.m
One of the first questions which Jeanne submitted to
Father Jacquinot had reference to her aspirations to enter
the cloister. On this matter she received a written response.
To read some of its passages is enough to appreciate the
wisdom of that eminent religious.
"After .having begged Our Lord for light to counsel you
according to Ris good pleasure, I feel myself forced to
t ell you that it would not be best for you to be shut up
in a cloister. The state in which you are placed by the
1 Th e g r eat virtu e a nd hi g h wisd om of tJlis religious de s tin ed hirn f o r
mo s t important fun ction s , not only in th e Soc iet y of Jesus, but a1 s o at t l e
Ho yal Co urt. Thus he w a s chosen by Louis XIII to be the confessor of
h is s is t e r. H e nri e tta of France, and to accompany h er to England at tlie
time of th e n egotiation of the marriage of this princess to King Charles I.
Several times Rev. Father Jacquinot earnestly commended to Jeanne
t h e s u ccess o f this mission. U nd e r date of F eb. 15, 1625, he wrote to lrnr
fro rn Paris: "Th e h a t e th e F:nglish b ear towards the Jesuit cassocl{ has
bro u g h t it a b out , that s in ce tlie y saw m e at th e Louvre to confess a n -'1 ins t r u ct Mada m e, th e K in g's s ister , th e r e is no kind of opposition tliey liave
not made in onl c r t o hinder m e -from accompanying li e r to Englanc'l. In
face of a ll thi s, th e Kin g lias ev er s l10wn h e wish es thi s to b e. But th e r e
m ig l1 t be co n s id e r a tion s intro du ce d to b reak up tlli s whol e plan. If the
o u tcome be w h n t is for th e g r e ate r g lory of Go(l, I will b e most content,
fo r w l1at el se is t h ere o n earth for u s t o seek ? R edoubl e y our praye rs
for tllis. 'l' h us t h ey w ill be w ell emplo ye d ."
T h e obstinacy of E n g lan d justifie d th e previ s ion s of R ev. Fatll e r
.T:1cquinot. T h e Fre n c h Co u r t was f o r C'ecl to r enoun ce th e choice it had
ma<le of a .Jcs11 it as the co nfessor of t h e vrin cess a nd n a m e d in hi s s t ead
an Oratori::i.n, Fatl ier rle Dc rull e.
2Autogrnpl1ic Life, c h . XXXI V.

InRS'l' MANIFESTATIONS OF '!'HE DESIGNS OF GOD

4!)

frequent visits of God, requires a condition of holy liberty.

rehe religions state demands that, in all your actions, you
walk in the path of regular observance, which, being marked
out for all, would often hamper you. It frequently happens that you cannot speak. How then would you chant
in the choir? You would need special authorizations, and,
indeed, authorizations as great as those given to the Blessed
Mother Teresa, to be tolerated in your prayers by the Sisters
as she was. And before this can be brought about, how
many sufferings ! . . .
"The extraordinary graces w"l1ich you receive, call for
an extraordinary vocation. In its own good time this will
be manifested to yon, if you be humble. But you must
practice patience and wait for the angel to move the waters
of the pool before you leap into them.
"In the cloister you will work, almost solely, for yourself; it seems that God destines you to aid your neighbor.
J s it not your experience that wheri you associa te with
your neigh bor you are useful to Him?
'~r feel in no way disposed to counsel you to take the
veil. And if God desired this, doubtless He would give
me some inclination as He does 'vhen He wishes me to
receiYe a candidate into our Society. He would give it
to me out of love for you, since He knows that you will
take my advice into account in this as in other things. This
then is my advice: 'Yait for what it shall please Roly Love
to do with you, and continue to serve Him faithfully in
your present state, without thinking anxiously about aught
else. If you do this, the hour will corne when He will
disclose to you what you should undertake."
.Jeanne made a sacrifice of the longings of her heart and
snbmitted to this decision. The future showed the wisdom
of her comse. God \Yill gradually lift the mysterious veil
which Rtill hides His designs concerning ber.
'Vhile she was under the direction of Father de Villars,
:-;he happened, one day, on a feast of the Blessed :Mother,
to be in the college church of Roanne. Our Lord made
k110w11 to her that she was to be examined before several
''dodors and great prelates." At the thought of being
1

50

LIU'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

obliged to divulge the secrets she had so far hidden with

such care, she is fi.lied with fear. But the Good l\Iaster
says to ber: "Have no apprehension. I will give thee the
grace of ever discerning Me. Repose in peace in the midst
of the ungracious and mortifying comments which will be
made because of the marvels which take place in thee. Have
the wings of a dove; be caudid with thy directors and tell
thy confessor that I wish thee to receive l\Ie every day.m
Having returned to her senses, Jeanne wished to give
an accouut to Rev. Father de Villars of wliat she had
learned, but the extreme repugnance she felt at being noised
abroad and at having to stand such varied examinations,
caused her to lose all power of speech.
Finally the struggle is crowned with complete victory:
'' I was unwilling to resist Your orders. I conformed myself
to Your will, and with Your grace abandoned my own." 2
Father de Villars, on heing informed of the cause of his
penitent's anguish, advised her to divert her mind by occupying herself in some manual labor. To fulfill his injunction she begins to make a quilt, no sooner had she begun
than a suspension of her spirit sudclenly arrests her. She
beholds the Blessed l\Iother standing, in sweet majesty, at
her right si de. Our Lady acldresses her these words:
"Daughter, offer thy~elf to re-establish my Ronse which
the Ursulines have give11 up.m Jeanne is amazecl. So
many have vainly striven to preserve the Ursuline monastcry at Roanne. Row could she, without abilities or resources, re-establish it? The divine l\Iother ieplies: "Only
offer thyself, and He "TI10 works 'vonders by Himself will
accompl ish it. Sencl this message to Hev. Father Cotton." 4
.Jeanne promises to obcy.
'Po provide young girls with the benefits of a Christian
edueation, 1\f r. de Chenevoux, the fonnder of the College
of the J esuit~, f4ecmed for Homme a com1mmity of the
Pr:-;nliHes of Paris. ~rliey were receivcd with joy, but were
Hot af4si sted with the same good will. 'fhcir resonrces wcre
1.A utogra phic L ife, c h . XXXIII.

2l b icl em.
:i Jhicl em.
4Ibid c m .

FIRST MANIFrnS'l'A'l'IONS OF THE DESIGNS OF GOD

51

so depleted that they were obliged to abandon the foundation. l\fany attempts were made to procure their return,
but withont success.
After the orders from her hea venly visitant, J eau ne
took new and more energetic measures. Rev. Father Cottou
became iterested in the cause but the results of his efforts
were not more happy. Having exhausted all possible means
to ensure success, Jeanne believed herself freed from her
promise. Rad not our Lady said to her: "Only offer yourself !" She had done more than that, she had given to
the goodness of her heavenly )f other the means to procure
for herself the first home and the first co-operatrix for her
work, Catherine Fleurin.
This young girl belonged to an honorable family of
Roanne. God and lier pions parents had surrounded her
:with such vigilant protection that, according to her confessors, she preserved her baptismal innocence. From her
tender infancJ'", her virtuous mother had initiated her into
devotion to the Blessed Virgin and into meditation on the
mysteries of the Rosary. This was the source of many
special graces. Catherine had been sought in marriage when
she was qui te young, but an interior voice had said to her:
''God alone is unchanging; accept no one but Him." These
"'"ords made a vivid impression on her and she resolved to
become a religious. When the Ursulines came to found a
convent at Roanne, she was among the most earnest in
soliciting admission into their communit.r. She received
the religious habit at the age of seventeen. Eleven months
after, she had to lay aside this holy li-very and i~eturn to
the world, in consequence of the departure of the religious.
To Catherine this was a cruel trial. In order to soften
its rigor, she zealously devoted herself to works of charity
and became the soul of the movement to re-establish the
Ursulines in Roanne. She contracted a grave malady while
serving the poor in the hospital and was unconscious for
seventeen days. During this long agony, she. underwent distressing interior vicissitudes. Her soul struggled against
frightful temptations of blasphemy and despair, after which
the eterna1 horizons were opened beforn ber eyes. Among

52

LIU'E OF JE.\NNE CHEZAHD DE 1\lATEL

other visions, she is favored with one which is singularly

JH'O}Jhetic. 'l'he mountain of Gonrguillon, on which afterwards was established the mnsery of the Order of the Incaruate 'Yord, is shown to ber. On the summit of the holy
bill, she sees a beautiful c1oss, solidly planted in the living
rock and she sees Jeanne de Ma tel holding a number of
writings. Unrolling one she sees a magni:ficent scroll resplendent with the name of J esus.
'l'he zeal shown by Jeanne for the return of the Ursulines
contributed perhaps, to Catherine Fleurin's idea that Jeanne
was assisting in the accomplishment of that vision. 'l'his
was preliminary. But a future, which was not far distant,
will literally verify the vision and thus unite these two
great souls forever.
~Jeanne had transmitted to Hev. Father de Villars the
formal command of Our Lord, ""Say to thy confessor that
it is My wish that thou receive Me every day.m 'l'his Father
would himself have anticipated this order, if he had not
feared it might develop hi certain imperfect souls the .s eeds
of rivalry. Rev. Father Jacquinot discarded the objection.
He said to ~Jeanne de Matel: "l\1y daughter, I feel inspired
to permit you to receive Holy Communion every day.m
And as she adduced as an objection the apprehensions of
Rev. Father de Villars, Father de J acquinot replied: "You
must fear nothing when you practice obedience. Oh! how
much you are obliged to love Him \\'ho has given you so
many graces !" 3
She began her daily Communions on August 22, 1620,
octave of the feast of the Assumption. 'l'he Blessed Virgin
said to her: "My daughter, I have obtained this favor
for thee from Him 'Vho is all love for thee. It is the better
part. It is a greater benediction than tlrnt which Rebecca
hrought to Jacob. I t contai us the God of all benediction." 4
Our Lord wished the dispenser of His liberalities to have
a shme in them. He said to His dearly beloved daughter:
" f have blessed and shall bless that Father for having
1Autographi c Life, c h . XXXIII.
21 hicl e m , c l1 . XXXIV.
~ lbi e m .

4lbid 0m .

11~msT l\IANIF'ES'l'.A1'IONS OF 'l'HE DESIGNS OF' GOD

53

kno\vn thy hunger and provided for it. As a recompense

for his charity, I will deliver him from his enemies in the
evil days.m ~rhis daily reception of the heavenly bread.
far from appeasing he1 lnmger, macle it an the more keen.
'l1his sacred manna became indispensable to her life. Thus
when she has arrived at the snmmit of the dolorous Calvar:y
which she is to ascend, she will waste a way and die beca nse she is clepriYed of her divine nourishrnent.
These eucharistie favors were productive of other divine
munificences. 'fwo days later, on the feast of St. Bartholomew, August 24, after having received Roly Communion, Jeanne sa"T herself, "clothed in a white garment,
'vhich had been washed and bleached, as if she had been
baptized in the Precious Blood.m
That eYening she receives the explanation of this begin.ning, as it were, of a new life. After returning to her
oratory towards nine o'clock, ~J esns draws her far from
earth and confides to her His great design: "l\ly daughter,
thou thinkest thon onghtest to enjoy the repose of contemplation in the house of thy father, since thou possessest
the benediction of the supersubstantial bread. Thou lovest
recollection. But :My divine wisdom ordains otherwise.
I have destinecl thee to institute, under l\ly name, an Order
which shall honor )Iy Personality incarnated out of love
for men. As I chose blessed Ignatius to institute an Order
of men which honors ~fy name, so have I chosen thee to
form a Congregation of 'vomen. Recall that on Easter,
1G17, I wished thee to carry thy cross and to be followed
hy many women clothed in white, to corne and adore Me
on the altar on which I reposed during the Forty Hours.
This carrying of the cross was a figure of what I wished
to do with thee, by calling thee for the design which I declare to thee th.; eyening. Courage, then, )ly daughte1.
Resolve to quit the house of thy father and the holy recollection which thou dost cherish, to follow l\ly intentions." 3
'Vhat 'vill .Jeanne do in the face of this mandate which
1Auto graphic Life, ch. XXXIV.
2Ibic1em , c h. XXXV.
~ A ut o gr a phic Life, c h. XXXV .

54

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

upsets all her dreams for the future? In what labors and
difficulties is she now to engage? The illusory clonds of
ordin ary souls cannot rise to the height of the region of
love and light in which Jeanne dwells. God has spoken.
His will must be accomplished. She counts her own tastes
and impatiences as naught, and replies: '"0 my Divine
Love, how sweet for me to cling to You. In You I place
all my hope.m
'rhe response of J esus to this humble submission, was
a redoubling of favors and tendernesses. At her Comnrnnion of the next day, the twenty-fifth, He invites her to.
enter in to His heart. He says to he1: "A heart which is rent,
cannot suffer barsh things without increase of pain. Bring
here . no hems or fi ounces of affections for crea tnres. In
thy desires be simple and stripped of all that is not pure
love for Me. Thus shalt thou console Me in l\fy sufferings
and sweetly soothe My wounds. The more a soul becomes
simple in its intentions, the greater are My delights to receive it into My heart.m
The moment she enters her oratory to consecrate to
Him the last honrs of that day, He eagerly approaches
her. He seems scarcely able to restrain His tenderness:
"0 l\fy daughter, how I love thee ! What dost thou wish
from Me? Ask with all liberty, I will give it to thee. My
love urges Me to grant thee all the reqnests thou shalt
present to me.m ~Jeanne is stupified.
The Infinite
Being deigns to address her in such words. A paroxysm
of love and joy causes a violent throbbing of her heart,
which seemingly wishes to escape from her bosom. At first
she is dumbfounded, but finally replies: "Love, I desire
naught for myself. Having You, I have all. But, since
it pleases Yon that I present a request, I beg, in all, through
all, Your own greater glory and the salvation of souls
ransorned by Your precious blood.m
She needed nothing, outside of God, and she was right
in saying: "Ravi11g Yon, I have all." 'rhis Sovereign Good
1 Autographie Life, c h. XXXV.
2Jbi e m.

~Ibidem.

4lbic'J em.

li'lflS'l' l\1ANIFESTA1'JONS OF THE DESIGNS OU' GOD

55

could give her nothing more excellent than Himself. His

purpose in making her such generous offers was to give
Himself to her in the most perfect manner possible in this
life. He had resolved to elevate ber to the most sublime
heights of a mystic union to which theologians give the
name of spiritual 11iarriage.
The next day, as she a pproahes the Roly Table, her
Divine Savior cornes to ber with a love whiCh is very ardent.
Scarcely has sh received Hirn sacramentally than He uncovers to hm~ anew the entrance to His heart, and tenderly
mges her to penetrate, by that opening, into the most intimate recesses of that sacred interior. Unheard of grace !
He assures her that several have been admitted into His
heart, but He had not manifested to them the secrets of
that nuptial conch. His love for her urges Him to unveil
. them to ber as His very dear spouse. The light she received, the delights she tasted in that rapture wliich lasted
two hours, she declares impossible to describe. Nevertheless she attempts to recount them: "Your most Sacred
Heart "ras our adorable couch blooming with purity. On
it I was united to You in a most pure virginal union. In
the~e di vine nuptials I was in You and You were in me
by a loving transformation. an august deification. The
senses like those of the foolish virgins gained no entrance
into that nuptial chamber. I could say to You with St.
Agnes: In loving Y ou, I am chaste. In kissing You, I
am pure. In entirely giving myself up to Y ou, I am
virginal. Yon gave me the ring of faith, that faith which
Your Father gave to St. Peter and which flesh and blood
cannot reveal. 0 Divine Spouse, Your spouses contemplate
You in Your source of life and origin which is Y our Divine
Father. They see how Yon are in Yonr Father and He
is in You. rrhis is the secret of the nuptial conch ! They
see Your mystel'ies as nncovered.m
Such was the inestimable privilege of the celestial 'vedding and it was by no means transitory. ~Tesus promised
lier: "This light which I name to thee by the name of
lAutograpbic Life, ch. X X XVI-X XXVII.

56

LIFE OF .JEAN"NE CHiiJZAHD DE l\IATEL

faith, shall not be taken mvay from thee. I t will wnx

to the zeuith of glory. It will show thee a bright dawn
of the divine sun which will make thee luminous.m Her
writings attest the possession of this prerogative. She treats
of mysteries unfathomable to mere human understanding,
with ease and lucidity, and proves that she gazes on them
under a light more b1illiant than can be seen during thif~
earthly pilgrimage, and that a sacred dawn of the light of
glory beams upon her.
The delights of this glorious alliance were followed y
confidences regarcling the future. The next night Jesus
unfolds to His dear spouse, in a figurative vision, the secret
of His designs. On a table, which serves as an altar, she
sees a statue which, at first, seems to be that of St. Ignatius
of Loyola, but gradually she discerns it to be a representa tion of Our Lord. A cheru b is on each si de of the
holy image. \Vhile they are adoring, they are at the same
time attentive to all that takes place in the oratory. rrhey
gaze with amazement on a little girl in a kneeling posture
profoundly humbling herself before the Divine l\1ajesty
concealed in that st~tne. On the altar, there is a lamp
so marvelously fashioned that it does not appear to be
the handiwork of man. Neither is its light of this world.
It is fed by no material substance.
'Ve recognize this little girl as Jeanne (her lrnmilit,v
th us design a tes her) who admfred ail these things withou 1
graspiug their meaning. One thing, however, does not
eReape her attention. "rrhe fuel of the lamp was unknow11
to hcr but not its lnsfre !~ In it she l'ecognir,es the heavenly
light which enables her f'\Oul to see things of the supernatmal order.
The next day , at Holy Communion, Our Lord explain~
io he1 the meanillg of the symbol~. rrho statue of St.
1gmltins, wh ich takes the divine featmef-1, "'Shows to her
11wt shadows alld figures JH'eeede the truth which al011e
1~ perfeet.'' 3 Site did not a 1 ffrst uu de1stand the '' ~f yf'tcl'ies
2

1,\ uto grap lli c Life, c h. XXXV TT.

2A utographic Lif c, c h. XXXVIII.
a Jbid crn.

FIRST :i.\IANIB'ES'i'.\'l'IONS OF THE DESIGNS OF GOD

57

hidden in the Institnte whieh she is called to found.m She

interprets this to be a Congregation formed as a dnplicate
of the Society of J esns.
This is not wha t is pI'oposcd. This Ordcr will be an,
e:.r tension of His Incarnation. By it H'is Divine Father
wisllcs to introducc Him i1lio the 1corld again. 1-'he adoring chernbs mark out to her the accomplishment of the
sacred oracle: Et cum iterzwi introducit Primogenitum in
orbem terrae~ dicit: Et adorent eum omnes Angeli Dei.
''And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the
w orld_, He saith: And let all the angels of God adore Him." 2
In fact, such was the first idea awakened in the mind of
.reanne de ~la tel by the announcement of her mission as
Foundress. Accommodating Himself to the nature of her
thoughts, as we remember, Our Lord had said to her: "As
. I chose the blessed Father Ignatius to institute a Society
of men to bonor ~.iy N ame, I have destined thee to institute, nnder My N ame, an Order 'Yhich honors My Person
Incarnated out of love for men." Her directors at that
time had a similar idea of the divii1e design, as is shown
in many of their Ietters. At the tim_e of her first sojourn
at Paris, zeal which is not a little self-interested will take
hold of that opinion, to accuse her M wishing to found
.J esuitesses and to unchain against her a tempest which
will give us another occasion to admire the goodness of
God in her regard .
.Jeanne hears the Lord ''commanding the celestial spirits
to adore His Son W'"hom He wishes to introduce anew into
the world, by this Institute. 1-'hey admire the love which
the Divine :Majesty bas for her, as He enlightens ber with
a light which is almost unlmown among those wbo live
on earth; as He chooses her who is so insignificant to accomplish a design which is so augnst: and as He comnmnicates to her, in a divine manner, the prerogatives
of Abraham, by destining her to become the :Mother of a
multitude of daughters wl10 shall be as brilliaut stars in
that Order."
1.A utographic Lif e , ch. XXXVIII.
2H e h. J. fi.

58

LIFE OF JEANNE CiIEZARD DE

MA1~EL

This sublime destiny fills Jeanne_ with amazement and

" In this Institute I will give thee the seed
of David. T wish to work in thee a miracle of love.m
'rhe humility of .Jeanne shrinks from this word 11iiracle
and plunges her into an abyss of self-abasement. For
God to be able to accomplish something through her instrumental ity there is need of a grace which has the nature
of a prodigy, so great is her incapacity, so lacking are her
virtues. As a ray of light penetrating the darkness of her
spirit, the words of the Blessed J\fother corne back to her:
'' Only offer thyself for the design of the Divine 'Visdom.
He 'Vl10 can work all wonders alone is as good as He is
powerful to make His plan succeed." 2
This then was God's wish : to offer herself for His designs and to leave to Rhu the means and the time for their
execution. Re had shown the outlines of His plan which
was so sul!lime that it surpassed human powers and conceptions. 'fhe 'Vord wished "to be introduced into the
world again by His Tnstitute." She whom He had chosen
had only to let herself be used as His instrument. J eanne's
directors offered no opposition. In particular, Rev. Father
.J acquinot said to her that he had no doubt that God would
establisb that Order; but that she must not quit the paternal
home before Providence- had shown that His Own time had
corne, and that, while waiting she must persevere in the
practice of her pious exercises, and especially that of receiving daily Communfon.
That time of waiting and of direct preparation was to
l ast fi v.e years, from 1fi20 to 1625.
J esus adds:

1Aut::>graph ic Life, ch. XXXVIII.

2Tbic1em.

CHAPTER VI
Preparation of Jeanne for Her Mission

1620- 1625
During the seed time, the long spring, which preceded
the unfolding of His \Vork, the Incarnate \\r ord poured
with a prodigal hand, into J eanne's heart graces which
\vatered the rich soil and gave fecundity to this germ.
As He had caused His temporal birth to be announced
by a nmnber of prophecies and figures, so did He prepare
the way for His mystic birth _)n His Order, by frequent
symbolic visions and promises. The venerable l\1other, in
her autobiography, carefully collates what has a more direct relation to her mission. Rev. Father J acquinot wished
to be kept informed of all that took place in ber soul. The
letters he received at. that epoch testify to the almost unprecedented prodigality with which God lav~shed His favors.
The contents of a single one of these missives would be
enough to enrich a life. They are beautiful caskets filled
with celestial gems. They defy description but, nevertheless, we shall attempt to narrate a few.
On the festival of All Saints, 1620, after having received
Roly Communion, Jeanne sees a band of gold which raises
three of its fingers to bless her. She interpret/s this as a
figure of God su bsisting in Three Persons and one essence.
On her forehead sbe feels a heat and splendor which represent the seal with which the elect of Israel were ~tamped,
according to the Epistle of the Mass of that day. During
the whole octave of that feast her soul superabounds in
graces. 011e day during her thanksgiving J esus reveals
to her the source of these many graces. Re shows her a
multitude of white hands raised np to Heaven, then she
~ees two ]Jersons fake a vial and pour its contents on her.
Her Diville Savio1 makes her nnderstand this is a symbol
of the prayers which the saints addl'ess to God that He
may embellish her with some of their own beatitude.
59

60

LlVI~

Oli' JEAN NE CHEZ.A.HD DE l\lA'l'EL

On the day of the Octave, at the moment wheu she npproachcs the Roly 'rable, she hears: "Today, many , run
to Me, to pray to l\fe and My saints, but one alone canies
off the priz.m Her heart, which is already burning with
love, becomes more inflmned. She longs for that prize. She
begs it of ~J esns. He hears the prayer He has i nspired and
leads Jeanne to His Divine Fathe1. For almost an hour,
she remains delightfnlly plnnged in that source of all being.
He makes her, fo some manner enjoy the fruition of Himself, and entertains her paternally and says: '"l\fy Son
thanked Me for revealing l\fy secrets to the lowly. I am
doing this to thee. Draw near that I may bestow on thee
the highest and most perfect gifts.m
However, Our Lord did not deprive her of the strengthening gift of the CroRs. l\fore than once, ber daily Comnnmions became occasions of much suffering.
The premonitions of Father de Villars were j\1stified. Certain
persons who formerly had shown great esteem and affection for Jeanne were now jealons of her and refrained
not from insulting ber. 'ro so noble and delicate a soul,
this was exceedingly painful. But she did not retaliate.
Hesponsive to the inspiration from on high, she generously
prayed for those who afflictecl her and she carried her selfdenial so far that she begged Our Lord to give them ber
Communions and the favors He granted her, if they would
thence glorify Him more than she would.
'rhe result of this trial was complete sncceRs, and he1
Divine Master prepared other g1nces, by similar crosses.
He did this hy the insumentality of ber dirccto1s. "rhether
it was to test the solidity of her virtue 01 to disarm envy,
they dirnill:hed the nnmhcr of her I-Ioly Comrnnnions. This
was the g1catest pl'ivation ihat conld have heen imposecl
npo11 her. Ilow will shc live witllo11t .TPRns'? Rhc findR
(_ornf01t in ihe thong;ht tlJHt if ~he i~ <1ep1ive<l of Ilim
s ac1allle11inlly, shc wrn re<'ein~ Ilirn ~pi1ii"nn1l)r with a1l
the fe1vo1 of' wh ich shc is cn pahlP.
One <lny, while pcncfrat-cd with these seHtilllcHts, ~lemme
1L 0tter of Jc>alln e <l e M a t el to Fntl1n Jacquinot (Oc t. 2!) , 16 20).

2lbillem.

PREPARATION OF JE..l~~E FOU HER l\llSSION

fil

su pplica ted the celestial_ court to prepare her for the visi t
of the well-beloved Guest, for \\Thom her soul was sighing.
But ber anguish and ardent longings had already attracted
Him. He says to her: ~:Jly daughter, I came for sinners
and the sick. Thou art all that. Behold ~le here in thy
house, as I "ras in tlrnt of St. :Matthew. All My saints are
with Me. Uake ~le a great feast.m As she understands,
the Host which is to be consumed in that feast is herself.
She prays ber Divine Priest to transubstantiate her. He
arises and says: "I baye a meat to eat which you know
not. It is that this soul shall do the will of My Father." 2
~Jeanne acquiesces in the Divine behest.
She seems to herself to be notbing more than a sacrificial feast with which
the sovereign Priest and all His court are satiated. ~J esus
says to her: "Love is a key -which opens all. Thy confessor has one keY and loYe the other. It is with this that
thon hast entere~l into Me and I into thee to give thee
life.m And that she may nnclerstand the admirable effects
of this Communion of clesire and sacrifice, He shows ber
an open heart in "-hich a crucifix is formed out of the
substance of the heart or rather the heart changed to a
crucifix. 1-'his was her mYn heart which loye and obedience
transformed into her crucified God.
This course of transformation was to be continued in
a series of trials. Her confessor commands her to do nothing without a~king her mother's permission, even for the
most triYial actions. :Jiadarne de Matel seeing that her .
dear eldest daughter diYicled her time between prayer, labor,
and good 'yorks, gaye her complete liberty. To. request
every moment the sanction to do that which she well knew
would be approYecl. was to !Jeanne a ma tter of constant
sacrifice. She a<:cepts it generously, but keenly feels it.
especially when seized with an ecstasy or a rapture, and
is oblige(l to ask to retil'e to ber 01ato1y. On these occasions
she with(frew so adroi t ly that she kept the household ignorant of the secret of the operations of God. But to ask
I L Ptter of Je a nne d e l\Iat el to o n e of h e r d irect ors, Se pt. 20, 162 2.
2Tb idem .
3l1Jidem .

62

penuission when the divine rays are already beaming on

her countenance and she can scarcely speak-this covers
her with confusion. Sbe feels this is an attack on the most
delicate modesty of her soul; nevertbeless sbe obeys.
To this humiliation other$ were added. Our Lord, by
depriving her of all consolations, reduced her to what she
calls total poverty and destitution. He then permits dangerous imaginings from which, hitherto, sbe had been preserved, to take possession of ber soul and the1eby cause
her intense snffering. Finally, she complains to her
J)ivine Spouse for His having permitted her enemies to
wage such a war upon ber. He replies: ''No one will
he crowned who has not fought worthily. By the
anguisb thou hast endured, I have wished to give
thee the merit and experie_nce of the sacrifice of the
1h ree vows -of religion.m 'Vh en a gleam of ligh t pierced
the sombre sky, it was only to give Jeanne a glimpsc
of future trials and to show her the "chalice of affliction
and the crown of thorns which are gained undcr
the rod.m A fever was added to what she was already
enduring. Tlle Mother of l\Iercy then became her consoler. Our Divine Lord afterwards sa id to her: "Thou
cornplainest to tby eonfessor of l\Iy absence, but has
not My l\fother corne to visit thec? nesides crosses
and chalices, did 1 not show thee a crown ?" 3 At that instant, a grat cross of white marble rose hefore her. Ob~erving its height and \veight she recoils with fright.
Onr
Lord says to her: "1\Iy daughter, thon shalt not carry
this cross. Jt will carry thee. lt is rock, marble. Tt is
on this that I wish to found the Tnstitnte. I am the ti-uc
rock on which l\fy Church is bnilt. Courage! It is on
Myself tltat I will fonnd l\fy Order." 4
rpJte 1CSJ>OllSC of J eanue to the VCS~itndcs throngh wh iclt
she is passi11g, is a vow of abm1domncnt to all the wishcs
of hcr a <lo1nhle Rpousc. rrhc followin; is its fo1rn11la:
'" .l \fy m o ~ t merci fu l C1en i o 1 mi <l Rn vio1, i t i8 from Yon
1 ~ r anusc ri p; of t h e a ceo u n t s of co n sc ie n ce of J eann e (l e Ma t e l.
:! .-\utogTa ph ic L ire, c h. X L .

3]

b icl crn.

4lbi clem .

PREPARA~rION O:b"' JEANNE FOR HER MISSION

63

tlrnt I derive all that I have by nature or by grace. l\fy

body and my soul are the work of Y our hands. If there
are any virtues in me, they are the effects of Y our mercies
and of the graces wl~ich Yon have merited by Your death
and passion. I return and give baek to You, by duty and
by love, aII that Yon have_ given me by charity and by
mercy. I give and throw myself into the arms of Your
Divine Providence. I give and submit myself, with a complete abandonment of my whole being, to aII of Your divine
wishcs. Henceforth, with all the plenitude of my freedom,
I renounce my own inclinations, my judgment and my will,
all honors, dignities, and ~mtisfactions; all friendships and
kinships; in general, all creatures in so far as they would
be an impediment to the fulfillment of this vow of abandonment.
"Behold me, 0 Lord, stripped of all, will, affections, and
desires. 'Vha t do Y ou wish Me to do? I wish nothing,
I love nothing, I desire nothing but Your most holy 'vill,
which I adore and embrace with all the extent of my
affections, in ignominy and poverty as .well as in peace
and prosperity; in interior and exterior sufferings as well
as in consolations and joys; in sickness and death, as well
as in health and life.
''God of love and most lov-able Savior, You will eternally
be the sole object of my affections and ambltions. I do
not wish or care for any beatitude in Heaven or on earth,
in time or in eternity, but that which is found in the accomplishnient of Yonr hol~; will. And, since I am firmly
assured that I cannot find this will on earth better than
in the love and honor which we owe You in the most angust,
lovable, and adorable Eucharist, it is there that I anew
make myself Yonr slave; and as such, prostrate before the
feet of Your divine Goodness and l\1ajesty hidden in this
ineffable Sacrament, I give and abandon myself once more;
I offer, dedicate, and consecrate myself, by dnty and by
love, to You, my sweet Savior, on Your throne of love,, in
Yonr excesses of love, in this most sacred and divine Host
which I adore, which I love with all my powers, with all

G4

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MA'rEL

my heart, with all my soul, promising to live and to die

in this love; to labor with all my streugth and powers,

even to the shedding of my blood, if occasion offer, so that
the whole world may know, love and adore this marvelous
mystery of Your infinite love. I cast off all care for myself and for everything else, and I wish that, in the future,
all my care and all my thoughts - and actions may be for
the love of this memorial of Y our love.
"Most loving and most lovable Savior, give me the grace
to persevere untlinchingly in this love, and to fulfill thiR
vow of abandonment which I make, confirm, and ratify
by my signature, iu Your presence and in that of the glorions Virgin ~fary, St. Joseph, and my guardian Angel.
JEANNE DE MATEL.-'-'

Abandoned without reserve to the good pleasure of her

Creator, detached from all that is not God, J eau ne become~
a more and more fitting instrument for the accomplishment of His merciful designs. From time to time, He reminds her that the moment is approaching when He will
execute them. One day Re tells her that as He had chosen
the small village of Bethlehem as the place where He wished
to be born, so also He chose Roanne, which was only a small
place, to be born there again by His Institute. As His
first birth had aroused great passion among the powerful
of the world, so also this second birth would arouse great
contradictions. The demon who tempted Arius, and the
one who tempted Pharaoh, would for a long time oppose
His glory. But Michael would vanquish them as he vanquished the dragon. Our Lord added: '' I swear to thee
\Jy l\fyself, I swear to thee by l\iy salvation, T, 'Vho am
the first of the predestined, that I will execute My designs.
J charge l\fyself with this J~jstablishment, and with the
means to found it. ln l\f y hand is thy fate, in My bosom,
thy treasmeR. 'rhe king who built a temple, the wonder
of the wo1ld, pleased Me; but, My daughter, I take much
mo1e sa tisf adi on in con si de ring the temple th ou sh al t bni 1d
for ~le. A 11 is 1neseut to l\fo, the past and the fnt11re;

P IPXfL:lrrIOX OF .H:..1_XXE FOTI HETI ~fISSIOX

G5

and I gaze with delight on the houses of .Jiy Order in whicb

r will be adored in spfrit and in truth.:n
.Jeanne was to feel the need of the courage given her
by these solemn assurances. She was under the direction
of Father de )Ieau:x and countecl on being nnder it for a
long time, as that Father was highly esteemed by ~Ir. de
Chenevoux, the founder of the college of Roanne.- But
the Father became ill and the physician declared that his
health could not be re-established except by a change of
residence. To Jeanne this news was a source of great pain
and even of a strong temptation. She highly esteemed
this Father's guidance. Seeing that she was fR\Ored \Yth
many graces he e:xacted from ber much perfection. Knowing also that her naturall:r delicate constitution had been
\Yeakened by frequent ecstasies, he was of the opinion that
sh~ ougbt not to think of founding an Order, but should
persevere in the life of prayer and good \Yorks which she
was leading in hei father's bouse. Jeanne naturally apprehended the difficulties of her mission and willingly
entered into the views of her director. To entrust herself
to a new guide, -whose appreciations might perhaps be entirely contrary to those of Father de )leau:x, aroused in
ber soul a thousand troubling thoughts. \Vas she obliged
to belieYe revelations calling for health which she was far
from 'possessing? All this could well be but an illusion
from the spirit of darkness disguising himself as an angel
of light, to deceive her as he had deceirnd so many others.
"To all these fears," she says, '"Our Lo1d replied by
imprinting on my soul a feeling of confidence that this choice
came from Himself, \Vho wished to show His strength in
my feebleness and infirmit~es; His science in my ignorance,
and His power in my powerlessness." 2
Before bis departure, Father de )leaux came to the castle
of )fa tel, to bid farewell. Jeanne, who was at firstJ saddened, turned interiorly to Our Lord and said to Him:
" Yon sent me this Fatber and now
that You take him
....
a \Yay from me, I corne back to Him who gave him to me
1Autographic Life, ch. XXXIX.
2Autographic Life. ch. XL.

66

Lrn

(Hf

.JEA NN E C Hl!JZ AHD DE l\I A'l ' l!JL

nnd 'Vho is Yonr Own Self.m At the sarne moment, she

nnderstood that it was expedient for her that this Father
go away, so that he might not Iiold her back when the hour
came in which the Incarnate 'Yord would wish to establish
His Order.
This hour was about to strike. Manifold are the pledges
of it given to Jeanne. Father de Meaux has scarcely left
the honse, when St. Michael appears to her. He offers
lier bis assistance to execute Our Lord's de.sires and makes
known to her tha t he has a mission to protect the new
I nstitute; that he is given to her as her master who is
to teach her the desires of God, through. the radiation
of the divine light which discloses them to her.
~Teanne was pr ofuse in her gratitude for the visit and
the assurances of this celestial protector, when Our Lord
Himself appears to her. He wore a wooden tiara without ornaments. She gazed af it with astonishment, -and
then sa'v it gradually become covered with precious gems.
The divine Pontiff says to her: "By this symbol, I wish
you to understand that if I .commence the execution of My
designs by poor appearances, I accomplish and perfect them
by rich effects." 2
At her Communion on the following day, she is raised
in spirit to the Roly Trinity. She sees herself, as a little
girl, held up in the arms of the Blessed Virgin, and presented by her to the trim1e God. She knows that "This
augn st society treats of great mysteries and that this little
girl is destined to do great things for the glory of God,
' Vl10 deigns to choose her because He is good, and accepts
her as His daughter and His spouse from the hands of His
Mother." 3
Later in anoth er ecstnsy, she sees a hand, the forefinger
of whieh points to the Or ient from whence the 'Vord and
His D ivine F ather wi sh to send her the Adorable Spirit,
t hcir mntual Love. She i8 abashed at seeing herself, so
irn pc1fcct and so devoid of virt nes, possessing snch a treas1A ut og r a phic Life, c h . XL.

2A utograph ic Life, c h. XLI.

::: Jhicl e m .

PREPARNrION OF .TEANNID FOR HER MISSION

67

ure. But that Father 'Vho bas pity on the poor, consoles
her and shows her a cloud which rains down on her, purifies her, and causes her to be born again spiritually. '11 he
rrhree Persons of the augnst Trinity wrought, in an ineffable manner, the regeneration of this new creature,
through the waters of this mystic cloud. She hears applied
to herself these 'vords of Isaias: Rorate coeli desup~~kt
nubes pluant jnstit1n: aperiatur terra et genninet salvatorem.1

Chape! of the old College of the Jesuit Fathers , at Roanne, in which

Jeanne de Mate! had many visions.

By this mystic regeneration, Jeanne l'eceived the grace

to commence ber life of Foundress, which was to be totally
different from that which she was leadi11g, occu pied with
God alone. rrhe Incarnate 'V 01<l already made lrn own to
llsaias, XLV, 8.

GS

LIF'E OF .JIDANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'l'EL

her that He wishes to make her His standard-bearer; that

He will rnake use of her to found an Ortler which will
honor His Kame, His Person, and His l\1ysteries; which
will be an "extension of His lnarnation." She is still
ignorant of the means by which He wi11 employ her to
realize these designs. He will now make them manifest.
On J anuary 15, 1625, as she is assisting at the Roly
Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated by Father Cotton in the
ehurch of the College of Roanne, Our Lord appears to her
clad in a worn and faded pnrple mantle. By this He
makes her nnderstand that He wishes the Religions of her
Order to wear a red mantle h1 memory of the one with
which He was clothed in derision, when He wore on His
head the crown of thorns and held in His hands a _reed
as a sceptre, and the J ews bent their knees before Him and
said: A ve Rex Judaeorum ! " Hail, King of the J ews !m
Jeanne is surprised and says: "Dem Lord, all will langh
at me when I propose that mantlc." " l\fy daughter," replies the Divine Savior, ''have I not received it for mockery '? l\ly spouses are to love contempt and snfferings, so
as to conform themselves better to l\f e. 'l'o them T address
these words throngh yon: Induirnini Dominwn J esus
Cltristum et hune crucifixum. 2 ''Put ye on J esus Christ and
Him crucified." 3
In her recital of this important vision, Jeanne begs
pardon of her Divine Maste.r for her reply which, she says,
was the suggestion of hnman respect. If there be f ault in
this aversion, it may be called a happy fault, for it refutes
the objections of those who would attribnte the singularity
of this religions habit to a pions imagination. 'l"'he di slike which ~Jeanne fe els towards such a man tl e is a proof
that it is not her ehoi ce, but a manifestation of the divine
])l an .
'Phi s scheme wil l gntdn ally llC unfol ded. Sorne mon th :-.;
la tcr Our Lord appears to hcr again . Ile wea rs a wh it e
:t ll(l 1ed iohc, (<11uli d us et 111i<'mul11s.
"Tt i~ in thiR white
1

1:Ma tt. XX \ ' IJ, 20.

2Autograp ll ic Llfe, c lJ . XLII .

3fiom . XIII. , 14, a n rl J. C or . I I. , 2.

Cant. V .

PREP A.RA.TIOX OF JE..XXE FOR HER )lISSIOX

69

of innocence and this red of charity that I wish to clothe

the Daughters of :Jiy Order. These are the colors and
this the livery whicb tbey are to wear. The white robe
will honor that which was given :Jie in the house of Herod,
and the red mantle that which was given 1Ie by Pilate.m
These statements are formal. Howe\er, the Incarnate
\r ord wishes to confirm them again.
Catherine Fleurin visited Jeanne de )la tel to acquaint
her of what she had seen cluring. a long ecstasy. She behelcl four angels bearing a representation of the adorable
X ame of the Incarnate \\~ ord; a plan of the mission which
Re had ordered Jeanne to execute and 1'hich was still a
profound secret.
Great was J eanne's astonishment when she heard that
humble girl tell what had been revealed to herself. She
a9mired the depth of the judgments of God \Yho, for tbe
accomplishment of His work, chooses a person of meager
capabilities who had been rejected by the L"rsulines, although in the eleventh rnonth of her nontiate, when they
left Roanne. Our I . . ord says to her interiorly: Lapiclem
quem reprobcn;erunt aeclificantes,. lzic factus est in caput
anguli. "The stone which the builders rejected, the same
has become the head of the corner.'' 2 ';:Jiy judgment is not
like that of men. They judge by appearances. I look, not
at the face, bt at the heart." 3
On the Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi,
)fadame de :Jiatel requested her daughter to invite Catherine Fleurin to dinner. \\~hen a considerable time had
elapsed after the latter~s Communion, Jeanne approaches
ber in order to extend the inYitation. She finds her in an
ecstasy and waits. Catherine, having returned to herself,
sa Ys to her: '~Our Lord bas charged me to announce to
yo"u tla t the time for manifesting His design has corne
and that you are to acquaint Father Cotton.'~
He was
then at Paris.
These assurances "ere co11Yh1cing, yet Jeanne not de4

i A.ut o gra p h ic Lif e. ch. XLII.

2Ps. CXVII.. 21.

3Autographic Life. ch. XLII.

Hbidem.

70

LIFE OF JEANNE CHE-ZARD DE l\IATEL

siring to be over hasty made 'Catherine no promise. "In

order not to repose too great trust in private revelations,"
she adds, ''I am not quick to believe revelations and I sec
no wrong in others testing my own, for I could deceive
myself." 1 And she addresReR Him 'Vl10 manifests Himself
to her so liberally: ~'.All the designs You hve communicated to me so far have been verified. I hope that Your
mercy will not permit me to be dereived, because I have
not asked of You theRe visions and revela tions." 2
On the last day of the Octave of Corpus Christi, Our
Lord again gives .Jeanne a sig11 of His will. He shows her
a park withont a gate, wherein she sees a multitude of
sheep withont a shepherdess. He says to her: Pasce oves
1neas. "Feed my sbeep." He then shows her altars and
wreaths; for these Rheep must offer themselves as a holoca ust of love.
'rhese visions confirmed Jeanne "s belief in her mission,
but by no means determined her to take the initiative for
its arcomplishment. On Sunday, June- 6, Feast of St.
Claude, Catherine Fleurin accosts ber as they return from
Vespers, and says to ber: "You mnst begin this Congregation as soon as possible." ''Begin it yonrself !" .Jeanne replies with a smile. Catherine catehes the sting of irony
contained in this reply, but urged by a divine impulse she
retorts: '' Yes, yes, I will begin. God can well supply the
qualities which are lacking in me~ hnt by refnsing to commence, you iesiRt the Roly Spirit." 3
~Teairne de l\Iatel realizes that it is the Spirit of God
which speaks by the mouth of this. pious girl. Catherine
gocs to pray at the foot of the altar of Our Lady of the
Hosary, and .Jeanne Imeels before the high altar. Scarcely
hns she fa] lell npon he1 knees when she sees herself~ clofed
in l ight and, as it were, besieged by the augnst T1rinity, the
Blesscd Virgin, aud the whole court of Henven. 'l'hey urge
her to bcgill the hlessed Order which the I 11cnrnate 'Vor<l
wiNhe~ fo im;tit:nt-c.
.AB the saiuts rnanifest their desire
1Aut og rnplli< Lif(', e l1 . XLI 1.

211Ji<l e m .
~ lhicl e m .

PIU~PAIL\.TIO N OF' JE.\.:NNE FOU I-IEU ~lISSIO:N

71

for this Establishme11t. Tt "ill be the abridgrnent of the

divine wonders. By it, the Eternal Father wishes to_glorify
His Inc~rnate \Yord in Heaven, as He has been glorified
by I t on earth. Mary wishes to fayor this Order, as to
please her, J esus protects th ose "'ho are dedicated to her.
''I do not undertake to recount," adcls .Jeanne, "all that
the Queen of Heaven and all that the Blessecl said to me,
nor all the kindness of the Holy Trinity. This is impossible. Yom Majesty signified that I W'"ould remain
clothed with these SJ)lendors until I promised to commence
the Congregation without clela:r.m
1'.,.hat could she do but sunender to sueh glorious insistences '? HmYever, dou btfnl of all that did not bear the
stamp of obedience, she asks Our Lord to allow her to remain in her father~s house until she has reeeiYed Father Jacquinots authorization, and she begs Onr Lord to incline
the will of that father to permit what is really God~s own
adorable will. " This said, Yon raised the siege, and, although I was the one who was vanquished, Y our benignity
gaye me its own victories, by promising to make me triumph.
0 Adorable Goodness, there is none Iike Yon !m
1'7 hen Jeanne entered her oratory to close her day by
prayer, she wns again visited by her DiYine King, accompanied by His court. ".All Your courtiers congratnlated me
on the affectionate love Yon had for me. T'hey praised Your
merciful char]ty for Your choice of one so insignificant to
extend Your glqry on earth, by bearing Your eternal and
temporal K ame comprised in the term : Incarnate .1Vord.
In the words of Isaia s, Collsolamini) consolamini , papule
meus: '' Be ye consoled, he ye eonsoled, l\ly people. m 'l"'hey
made th e air . ring with gladHeRs and jubilation . All these
praises emharraRsc<l me. Yon impre~sed on my soul such a
deep sen se of my nothingn css, that I ~nid , with Yonr consen t ,
after the exampl e of Your holy ~lot her: E cce a ne il la
Do111ini; fiat u1ihi scc und1u1t cc r7nrni tull1n. 'Behold the
handmaid of the Lord, be it <loue nnto me a ccording t o
IA utog-r apll ic L ife, ch. XLII.

2I b idem.
3Ts aias, X L., l.

LlIN~

01' .JEANNE CI-IEZAnD DE 1\1.ATEL

rrhy word."1 "0 loving ~Wr':tness,' You made me hear without beholding the speaker: Beata quae crcdidisti) quoniam
_ perficicntur ea quae dicta sunt tibi a Do1nino. "Blessed
art thon who hast believed, because those things shaU be
accomplished which have been said to thee by the Lord." 2 3
vVithout further delay, God procured the means of giving to the execution of His designs, the sanction of obedience which Jeanne had begged. Father Jacquinot was'
leaving Paris for Toulouse but did not intend passing
through Roanne. Father Nicholas Dupont, who was directing J ~aune at that time, told her that she would not
have the consolation of seeing Father J acquinot during his
travels. But the Divine Master. willed otherwise and .bade
her wait with confidence. On June 21, 1625, to the astonishment of his friends, the distinguished religious arrived
at Roanne. 'Vhen Jeanne went to see him, he said: "My
daughter, it is only out of consideration for you that I pass
through this city.'~ "Dear Father," she replied, "I hoped
for that from your charity. The interests of God's glory
are a t stake. Hea ven and earth urge me to commence
the Cngregation. Catherine Fleurin's and my confessor,
the Rev. Father Rector, and also Father Bonvalot are of
the opinion that the tirne to begin has corne. I have promised to commence on condition that your Reverence approves
the step."

'I'he prudent religions reflected. Numerous objections,

oppositions and difficnlties to which this enterprise was
to give birth arose in his mind. He seemed to withhold
bis authorization. "l\'Iy daughter, what do you yourself
think about it ?'' "Dear Father, Our I. . ord has promised
me that He will accomplish it. He has ordered me to tell
you that you and l must trust in Ris mercy and rest our
heurts on His strcngth.:~ 4 Finally, when Father J acquinot
had listeued with a ttentiop. to the recital of the promises
and the reiterated iusistences of Heaven, he felt convinced.
'l'he establishment of this Order appeared to him to be
Lu ke I. 38.
:.!Luk e I, 45.
3.c\u t og-ra phic Life, c h . X LIII .
4l b ide m .
1

PREPARA.TIOX OF JEAX~E FOR RER :\IISSIO~

73

Gods will, and he said to Jeanne: " Commence when you

wish or when you can.m
No more doubt lurked in the mind of Jeanne de :Jlatel.
The Incarnate \Vord had chosen her to institute an Order
especially consecrated to honoring His Sacred Person and
His adorable m;vsteries. He Himself had gfren lier the
pledge which she had asked of Him. In the afternoon of
the same day He confirmed it and at the same time revealed
the complete form of the habit in which she was to clothe
the new religi ous.
Catherfoe Fleurin desired to speak to Father J acquinot.
Jeanne accompanied her to the college and, during their
interyiew, she gave herself up to prayer in the college
church. She then sa \ a crown of thorns in the miclst of
\Yhich was \\Titten the Roly ~ame of Jesus, above a heart
which was pierced with three nails and marked with the
\Yords: Am or .:ll eus. Our Lord said to her: ":Jiy daughter,
My Name is oil poured out. :Many souls will be attracted
to this Order by the sweetness of this N ame. Place on the
scapular what tliou hast seen in this vision, so that I may
repose on the hearts of My fai thful spouses." After this
new mercy of the Incarnate \Yord, .Jeanne exclaims: "0
dear Love, when You were a mortal man , You rightly complained tha t the foxes had their dens and the birds their
nests, but that You had no place to rest Your head. Let
this be so no more. Rest on us, dear heart of our Lo-ve, dear
Loye of our hearV' 2
The next day, June 23, after Holy Communion, the
powers of he.r soul were suspended in God. She .saw a
ciborium containing the Blessed Sacrament and sustaining itself in the clouds, by its own power. Our Lord
then appeared to her. He seemed to be thirty-three years
old and was crowning a persan wh o was kneeling at His
feet, above the clouds. He made known to Jeanne that
she was that soul who was priYileged by the e:s:cess of His
love, and that He crowned in her, not her own merits, but
the abject of His O\vn mercies. The sacred ciborium con1Aut ograph ic L ife, ch. X L III.
2Ibi dem.

74

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAIW DE l\lA'l'EIJ

taining the Il1essed Sacrament loving1y bent dowu towards

her. Jesus said to her: Amor meus pondus 11ieum. "My
1ove is my weight." 'rhen one of the most touching scenes
of the Apocalypse was nnfo1dec1. Sbe saw, in the air, a
legion of angels who sa id to one another: Ecce uor Agni!

Ga-ud.camus et cxultcmus et dcmus

cruut nnptiac Agni. PJt nxor ejns
est illi) ut coopcriot se byssino
Byssi11/n1n en i m j ustifi cati 011 c.c:: sun t

glorioni e1'.. Q"tia vcnprcparavit se et datmn

splcndcnti et candida.
sanctornm. "The mar

riage of the Lamb is corne, and his wife bath prepared herself. And it is gI"anted to her that she shonld clothe herself with fine 1inen, glittering and white. For the fine linen
are the justifications of the saints.m
As the angels had mrnomiced, the hour had corne when
~Jeanne was to leave father and mother, to cleave to her
adorable Sponse. In a soul wl10 abandons the paternal
ioof to follow the heavenly Rponse, the sacrifice is always
painfnl both for ber and for those _from whom sh~ is separated. rrhe conditions nnder which the sepmation of
~Jeanne de 2\'fate1 was to he accomplislted, ienclered it much
more harrowing. 'rhere was not question of only leaving
ber fmnily aecording to natlne to find a fmnily according to grate; of fleeing from the wol'ld to eu ter into a blessed
solitude where she wonhl fHl in abundance blessings of
Heaven, exemption from cme~ of the earth, and the halo
of respect and h011or which encircles brows consecrated
to God. She was to lannch ont i11to a future which was
most nncel'tain, in the imrsnit of a project the execution
of which presented vel'y great difficnlties; without any support or resources beyond her confidence in Him vVhose
will she belieYed she was doing.
The annonncement of this enterpr;e ca1JSed an ontlmrst of reproaches and coutradictions. ,J eanne's three sisters londly disnppI'oved of it and told her ~he was merely
entangling herse1f in wo1ries and hibnlations and that her
strange experirnent wonld end in shame and failnre. If
~he ever achieved miy rcsn Its, 1hey predicted tlin t it wou ld
1A11o cal. X I X. 7, 8.

PUEPAHA'l'ION OF JEANNE FOR HEU MISSION

75

be only after long and painful waiting. "If I had to wait

forty years," ieplied .J emme, "Our Lord \Yould give me the
constancy and I would hope against hope. I have confidence in His ProYidence whieh does not fail those who
rely O:Q Him.m
The opposition of Mr. de :Jla tel to the execution of his
daughter's project coulcl be easily foreseen. He .. was detained at the Court by bis office- of gentleman of the King's
Household. Fathers Unpont and Bonvalot urged Jeanne
to leave the paternal home as soon as she acquainted him
"~ith her intention, so that he would have no time to interfere or raise obstacles which might be well-nigh insurmountable.
The venerable )ladame de l\latel, who was to feel more
painfully than others, the separation from her well-beloved
child, was the only one to accept the trial, like. a heroic
Christian~ She said to her: "l\ly daughter, my. natural
inclination cannot permit you to leave me, but that yon
may follmY a divine inspfration,- I will overcome myself.
My life is drawing to a close. l\Iy desire would be for us
not to separate during the short space which is left for
me to pass in this valley of misery. But I do not wish
to retard the designs which God has on you.'' 2 The abundance of her tears showed the Yiolence she did to her maternal
love, to consent to this separation. In order not to increase
them by mingling her own, .Jeanne repressed her emotion
which burst out all the more strongly when she was alone.
It became impe1ative to put an end to so painful a situation. The feast of the Visitation would be celebrated in
a few days. ~T eanne made her ar1angements to leave home
on that day.
She was not to p1ocure the consolation of seeing the
divine promises realizecl until she paid tJie price, not only
by outward contradiction, but also by angnish of soul. On
the vigil of the feast of the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul,
while praying before the Blessed Sacrament, she "Tas oppressed by fear and sadness. She seemed crushed by the
1Autographic Life, ch. XLIII.
2l 1Jid e m.

76

weight of anxiety and the obstacles against which she would

have to struggle as if they were already present. She had
recourse to the God of lier heart, 'Vho, ordinarily, was
so prompt to assist her. But far from calming her fears,
He made her know that to establish this Order, it would
be necessary, as of old to rebuild the Temple of J erusalem,
to labor wi th one hand and fight with the other. He bade
her to pray, to be patient and courageous, that His grace
would be very necessary for perseverance in the face of
delays and difficulties. He gave her a presentiment of the
many struggles she would endure without unveiling them
completely, so as not to weaken her courage or chill her
ardor.
The following day, June 29, an encouraging vision
came to strengthen her soul. She saw armed men who
sought to wound her and to destroy a sun which seemed
to rise from the depths of a mighty well. Our Lord said
to her: "'My daughter, what power have these arms against
this sun? So shall it be with all the oppositions which
will be made against l\fy Order." At the same time the
Blessed Virgin appeared to her, under the image of Notre
Dame de Puy, and she heard these words: "Place thy
trust in her, she shall aid thee and I shall not abandon
thee.m
'fhese symbols and oracles traced in otline the whole
program of that life of Foundress which she was to commence under the auspices of l\fary. Obstacles and sufferings
on earth, assistance and protection from Heaven. "\Vhen
we pass in review the whole of her new existence, we see
that while creatures resist her, misunderstand her, make
her undergo almost intolerable trials, her Divine Love, the
1ncar nate
ord, fo1-tifies ber, consoles her, manifests Himself to her, with a mnnificence which is almost without
precedent. And after unHing her to Hirnself most intimately t hrough love and sorrow, He gives her the grace
to expire on the CrosR and to be able to say with Him:
Conswmna"tuni est. " I t is consummated." 2
1Autographic L ife, c h . x r...an.

"r

zJo lm XIX, 30.

CHAPTER YII
The Beginning of the Congregation at Roanne

1625-1627
On the 8''"e of the feast of the Visitation, the tempter
made an effort to destroy the great enterprise which was
to commence the next day. He unchained a tempest of
apprehensions and terrors. J eanne's body and soul seemed
the victim. A violent fever ensued. 'But," as she remarks,
''Our Lord, who neYer leaves her long in affliction, came
to her aid, dispersed her enemies, and sent her a refreshing slumber.m \Yhen day davned, she assisted at )Iass.
received Roly Communion, and made to God the sacrifice
of. herself and of all that she held dear. \Yith Catherine
Fleurin and )Iary Figent, she visited the house which the
Ursulines had abandoned. )Jr. de Chenevoux, the owner
of this property, had left it at the disposal of Catherine
Fleurin, who, he belieYed, wa~ recruiting postulants for a
new foundation.
After they had crossed the threshold of this dwelling,
Catherine Flenrin and )fary Figent cast themselves at
the feet of )fotber de )Iatel, as we shall henceforth call her.
'fhey recognize her as Su perioress. They promise her blind
obedience and YOW to follmY her anywhere. She embraces
them most tenderly and, in a fe,Y touching words, exhorts
them to appreciate the grace which . the Incarnate \\r ord
grants them by '""ithclrawing them from the world and
choosing them to work for the establishment of the Ortler.
She protests that she is ready to suffer all kinds of privations and persecntions, to accomplish the designs of Hirn
in \Vhom she plaees all her confidence. In t.h eir turn, they
affirm that neither hunger, nor thirst nor any tribulation
shall eYer sep ara te them frorn fe charity of J esus Christ
vd1ich bas united them, and having embraced each other
again, tbey chant together the psalm, Ecce quani bonwn!
!Autographie Life, ch. XLIV.

77

78

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

'l'he Incanrnte 'Vord wishe His Order to be born in

the arms of holy poverty. Forty crowns as a gift given
by l\fadame de l\'Iatel to her danghter, and ten to Catherine
Fleurin by her mother, comprised _their whole endowment.
It was indeed little. But this little, joined to the inexhaustible Providence of their heavenly Father, was more
than sufficient. He never permitted them to lack neces~aries.
On several occasions He provided foi. them in a
miraculous manner. 1 l\fother de Matel and her daughters,
far from worrying over their poverty and privations, cherished them. They found in them occasions to immolate
themselves in order to promote the work of the Incarnate
'Vord~

In order to strengthen the courage of the new Foundress, Our Lord permitted her to see, for a brief moment,
the future fruits of her labors. She heard Mass and received Roly Communion. Divine consolations began to
invade her soul when she had to leave the church to follow
her companions. Having re-entered their house, she humbly sets about preparing the modest repast of the little
community, when Jesns sends her a rapture. She is shown
a mountain on whose smni;nit is the Eternal Father, holding in His lap all the danghters of the Incarnate -nr ord and
He says He will beget thern not by flesh or blood or the
will of man but by the Divine will.
Then her adored Doctor explains to her in fa vor of
these begettings of grace in time, His eternal genera tion
and His temporal generation; He then says to her: '"l\fy
daughter, in this establishment, I, 'Vho am t_he Incarnate
vVord, will extend My Iu carnation. I shall dwell with
t hee and t hou sbalt see My p:lory equal to that of the Father
" ' ho etern ally begets Me 1 the di vine splendors. Thou
shalt sce l\fe full of gra ce aud nth to accomplish in thee
a nd in My Order, all the promises which I have made thee,
whi ch I make thee and which I shall make thee." 2 Again
t he I ncarnate ' Vord shows her all the daughters of His
1 Very oft en without th e lrn owl ed ge of a n y on e Mada m e d e Ma t el was
t h e b e n e fi cen t hand of Provide n C' e..
2A 11 t ogr a ph ic Life, c h. XLI V.

THE BEGINNI:\G OF' THE CONGREGA'rION AT ROANKE

7!)

Order. They climb the holy mount,1 accompanied by many

other persons who recite with them the psalms : Laetat us

sum in his quae dicta snnt 1nihi: in donimn Domini ibinnts.

''l have rejoiced in the things that have been said to me:
we shall go i~ito the house of the Lord." 2
On August 12, feast of St. Clare, l\fother de l\latel recalled a vision in which that Saint had appeared to her
in 1619, accompanied by St. Teresa, and had promised
to aid her in a matter of great concern. She asked herself
what this help was that she was to expect. At that moment
Our Lord showed her a sun dial, the needle of which marked
the hour, and said to her, "I am the center of all these lines
vd1ich are l\ly saints, holy men and women. l\Iy Providence,
as a sun, fixes its light on the Jine which is the hour that
indicates l\fy will. All l\Iy saints seek ~ly good pleasure,
and not their own. Doubt not tbat St. Clare and all l\fy
saints desire nothing greater than to contribute to the
Order which I wish to establish. Be not astonished that
you have not entered the Carmelites. St. Teresa regards
you as her sister and not as her daughter. She is in conformity witb all l\fy ordinances, and desires you to have
the white. of Lebanon and the red of Carmel; and, as for
l\fyself, I tell you that I have destined for l\fy Order from
all eternity, the glory of Lebanon and the beauty of Carmel:
Gloria Libani data est ei. Decor Carmel et Saron. "There
has been given to her the glory of I.ebanon, the beanty of
Carmel and Sharon." 3
These graces of light and hope were followed by others
not so comforting but not less precious. l\lother de l\f atel
keenly felt the privations which this new mode of life imposed npon her. It exchanged the sweets of solitude for
the cares and exigencies of community life. She no longer
had the. same leisure to give herself up to her comnrnnings
1Mother de Ma tel as yet knew nothing of Mount Gourgnillon. It had
just been shown to her. Tvvo years later, she recognized it with joy,
when she came to Lyons. It was there that God prepared a bouse which
was to be the nursery of the Order of the Incarnate Word. It was then
occupied by the religious of St. Clare, who abandonecl it to live in a more
central locality.
2Ps. cxxvr.
3Isaias XXXV, 2.

80

LlFE OF JEANN.E CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

with God in prayer. r\ s we have seen, it happened that

when she 'yas beginning to enjoy favors from Heaven, she
had to abandon p1ayer for more humble duties.
Heart breakings were added to these sacrifices, when
l\fr. de l\latel learned of his daughter's determination. He
wrote her angry, threatening letters. This procedure of
her father, who 01dinarily had been so tender towards her,
afflicted her profonndly, but did not shake her resolntion.
"Tith all the art at her disposal she informed him, with
reverence and affection, that the project had been effected
and that, "for nothing in the world conld she tnrn her back
on the will of God.'' l\fr. de l\fatel became fnrions and sent
letters which were even more terrifying than the first. He
reproached his wife whom he accused of weakness and complicity. He forbacle her to give ~Jeanne any money so that
necessity wonld soon force her to return home.
He with whom l\fr. de l\fatel dispnted the possession of
bis daughter was the more powerful. He was her first
Father. He said to her: ~l'lldi filia et vide) et friclina aurem
tuam et oblivi} crc ]W]JlllUJn tnnm et domimi vatris tui) et
concupiscet Re decoreni tumn. "Hear l\iy danghter and
Ree and lencl Me ihine ear, forget thy people and thy father's
honse and the King will be enamored of thy beauty.m "Fear
nothing, althongh thon art a bandoned by the fa ther who
deprives thee of what he owes thee. I will give thee whereof
to build l\fy temple and complete the w01k of the Lord thy
God. The angels will make thee presents and provide thee
with all. rri10n shalt lead to l\Ie a company of virgins." 2
A dllucentcr rcgi vi1g-incs pos:t canl. 3
Ho,vever, these harrowing Cl'l'.nmstances were nothing
to those which she soon experiencecl. Dndng three long
months He 'Vl10 had lavishecl npon her so many proofs
of His tenderne~s an<l fm "Tho~e love sh e had left all, hid
Himself frorn her uoi wiihstm1diug all her y:unings.
Heaven seemed t11111cd i11io lnonze and insensible to all
hei snpplicatiorn~. Rhc <lid ]1ot remember having had dur1 Ps.

X LIY , 1 2, 13.

2.A utographi c Life, ell. XLI V.

3Ps. XLIV, 16.

THE BEGINNI~G OF THE CONGREGATION AT HO.ANKE

81

ing the nine previous years a single day of desolation like

that to which she was now reduced. Her exterior occupations far from being an alleviation for her sorrows, were
sources of inexpressible weariness. At the recreations, she
langhed withont jo.v; at meals, she ate withont relish; in bed,
she s1ept wi th mit resting. Her soul coutinually longed for
Him and called out to Him \Vho was her only desire and
her only love.
Sister Catherine Fleurin was not slow to see that l\fother
de Uatel was in a state of anxiety, and requested ber to
tell her the cause. Regardless of her repng,nm1ce to complain to an.v one but Inm \Vho was the source of her grief.
~he confessed that her God was no longer to lier what He
had hitherto been. ThiR charitable Sister conjured Our
L01d to withdra w these trials. But the days of affliction
had not been completed. Nevertheless, divine Goodness
iade somewhat of a concession to her appeal and. commissioned he1 to say to l\fother de l\fatel: "I have loved thee,
1 love thee, and I shall love thee with infinite love.ni She
'Yas like Magdalen. No voiee but that of her Well-beloved,
was capable of comforting that soul desolated by the loss
of her adored l\faste.r.
At last, this sweet and mighty yoice made itself heanl
in her soul while her body was buried in sleep. "Y on made
a general attack," she says, ''on all my faculties. Yon entered gloriously, offering Yourself as my booty. And she
who was vanquished, by Your love saw herself victorious
and delivered from the weariness which she suffered in
Your absence." 2 That morning as she was going to Communion, Our Lord. transparent and luminous, appared to
her. He came to her as in a transport of love which had
been long repressed, and He heaped npon her, ineffable delights, which did not vanish with the day that had brought
them. They wel'e lavished with sneh abundance tllat even
the pions l\lother, so accustorned to J'eceiving celestial favors, was amazcd that she conld enjoy them without dying.
By these gl'aces, Onr Lord prepared ber for the frial
L'\utogrnphic Lif<>, ch. XLV.
'.2lbidem.

'f

LIFI1~

OF' JEANNE HT!JZARD DE

~lA'rEr,

with which she "as soon to be visited. On Septern ber 29,

1 G~3, feast of St. Michael, the venerable Madame de l\latel
became seriously ill. At thnes her sufferings were so intense that they eaused violent convulsions. All foresaw a
fatal issue. Her patience, piety, and spirit of penance, profomHlly edified all who -vdted her.
On .J mnrn1y n, 1G:2n, foast of the Epiphany, Our Lord
showed His c1oss sealed with blood to )fother de l\Iatel, and
sa id to her: --~Jy danghter, behold the inventory of My
riches sealed with l\fy blood. 'l'hcse are Ivly treasnres and
1 give them to thee." He t hen unveiled wonderful lights
relative to the religions state and to His Order in particular. He foretold to her that it would be an object of almost
universal contradiction nnd coutempt, similar to those
w hich St. Joseph, His holy l\fother and Himself had endured in the stable, in Egypt, in .Jndca, and on Calvary. After these tribulations the Order would pnrticipate in the
glory Re receiYed after Jlis Ascension, when His Nnme was
b01ne to the extrcmi 1}s of' the earth. 'J'h is Orde1, blessed
by Ris Father was to extend over the world among different nations from which it wonld gnther its danghters. 1
'fhe c1oss shown to .Jeanne, soon weighcd hea vily upon
her. On l\fa.1Th , Hi~f>, Gofl called her rnoiher to Himself.
It was customary for Jeanne to make her an early visit.
()n this padicnlar day, she deferred her vt mitil evening,
as ~Iadame de ~fnte1'8 condition seemed improved. The
physitian lrnd not been called and she had uot been watched
by a nnl'se as on preceding days. l\Iother de l\Iate1 was in;;.;pired to remain with the ~aintly patient who in ber reverPBC'e and tendcrness for ber favorite daughter, would uot
pe1mit her to render ber any of the humble services which
~ he wonld have been on ly too happy to lavish on ber mother .
...\.t thi~ .Jemme " ns mnrh pained but was forced to resign
hcr:-wl f i 11 01de1 not to distl1rh her dying mother, who said
io h()1: '':Jfy danghter, I am left al one!" "My good mother,"
-NhP JrplieN, "my micle, rny thrce siste1R and the maid who
wni ts on yo11, :ur alwnys with yon." "Ah! my danghter,"
Nhe :t11NW('1~, ''yon arc not hc1c !"
"l\f y dear
1.\utogr apl1ic Lif<', el!. XLVI.

rl'HE BEGINNING OF 'l'HID CONGREGA'l'ION Nl' ROANNE

83

'

mother, if yon had expressed such a desire, I would have

stayed with yon during yonr illness. Our Lord would have
been glad to have me do this. You showed your love for
me by permitti-ng me to enter the Congregation, but that
does not hinder me from coming to do my duty to you.m
After exchanging some other '-\rords Jeanne withdrew a
little in order to permit her mother to rest. Almost irnmediately Madame de l\1atel is again attacked by suffocation,
calls her back, and says to her: 'My daughter, corne near
me and say t11e litany of the great l\iother of God." She
answered the invocations with great fervor. Her pulse lowered rapidly. Mother de :Matel begins the prayers for a
departing soul, and while she is reciting them, that admirable Christian woman breathes her last while making the
~ign of the cross.
'rorrents of tears burst from ber broken-heartel daughter. Overcoming her grief, she closed the eyes of her
through whom she first saw the light, and who had loved
ber so tenderly. 'Vhile paying this last debt she said
interiorly to Our Lord: ':My mother loved Yon, more than
she loved me, niore than her life, more than everything
created. I conunend he1 to You as You commended Your
Mother to St. ~John. I leave her in Your hands. Place me
in the hands of Yom .Mother who is all powerful. Give
her to me now as my .Mother." But nature claimed her
rights. l\lother de 3fatel swooned 1~ear the cherished remains of her whom she mournecl. The bystanders hurried
to her aid, but she gathcied all her remaining strength to
make a sign not to give. her anything to drink fearing that
it might be midnight, and that she might not be able to
receive Roly Communion in the morning.
She needed ber Divine Consoler. 'Yhen she finally possPsses Him, she presents H im to the sovereign Majesty, for
the ransom of the son 1 of hc1 goo<l mother. She begs the
adorable Justice to cancel any indebtedness of the dear departecl by the merits of the holy Passion of the Incarnate
'Yorcl. 'l"his offcl'ing conld not be rejected. She had the
1Autogrnpliic Lif'. ch . XLVI.

84

LH'D; Ol!' .mANXE CHEZAno DE l\IA'l'EL

happiness of seeing her request granted by the divine Mercy

of Him to vVhom i t was presen ted.
Many believed that the venerated deceased died in the
odor of sanctity. Hcr funeral couch exhaled a celestial perfume like to that of lilies and roses. A respectable widow
of Roanne named Anne Barbillion, had seen her after her
death as a burning bush preserving all its verdure in the
midst of flames. Before calling her to Himself, Our Lord
had shown l\Iother de Matel a starry dwelling which Re
had prepared for that mother whose loss w~s so painful to
her child. But the most irrefutable mark of ber sanctity
was the practice of heroic virtues. These kept her memory
in benediction among all who had known her.
'iil1e death of such a mother could not but be extremely
painful to her who was the most beloved of her children.
Her sorrow manifested her filial tenderness. Her humility
made her regard this as lack of virtue. After having related
the circnmstances of her mother's death, she added: "'I
confess wi th shame tha t my love for Y ou was not strong
enough to destroy the feelings of nature. Your providence
used time as a healer to remecty this sorrow which caused
me so much confusion for it showed me that I had no virtue, as indeed I always saw that I had none, despite the
liberality with which You bestowed graces on me. l:Dvery
time I went to pray at her tomb, my eyes poured out streams
of tears which continuecl thronghout the nights that I lay
awake thinking of her." 1
This grief was not the only one occasioned by the decease of her good mother. As soo1~ as l\fr. de Matel learned
the news of his wife's death, he wrote commanding letters
to bis daughter to force her to return home. He bade her,
as his eldest claughter, to take coutrol of his household, and
thus make it possible for him to remain at Court. JDvery
lctter recloubled her nffiiction. ""Knowing that You did not
deRire this sojourn of my father at P~uis," she says, "I did
not care to leave Your daughtcrs and my sistcrs according
1Autograpliic Life , c h. XLVI.

THE BEGINNIKG OF THE CONGilEGATION A'_r ROANNE

85

86

LIFI<J OF JEANNE CHEZAilD DE 1\1.A'l'EL

to the :-.11Jirit, for his daughte1s who werc my siste1s accord

i ng to the fiesh.m
~rhis family. according to grace whid1 she was nnwilling
to abandon, had admitted a new member on J uly 17, 1025.
She was a widow named Madame Claude Bernard. .A.s our
ancient annals relate, '~she came to join ns impelled by a
movement of the Roly Spfrit. She was very virtnous and
lived continuonsly in God's presence with which she penetrated all who saw her pray."
She was skillful, clever and conversant with household
duties. She had a special talent for imparting knowledge
to the young. This talent Y\Tas highly appreciated in the .
little Congregatiou which soon admitted boarding pupils.
,,rrhe pupils were trained in all the duties of a Christian
life and were 1structed 1 eYer,rthing necessary for wellbred girls.' ' 2
Mother de Matel had drawn up a plan of the Constitutions of the future Cong1egatio11 wllile she was still dwelling in her fatber's bouse. rrhese were observed witll edifying exactness as soon as she and her daughters were assembled in community. They liYed in great fervor and considered themselves happy in devoting and sacrificing all they
possessed in order to procure the establishment of the
Ordei. God was i.lie. ouly oject of their desires and with
Hirn they were perfectly nnite<l. rrhey began to diffuse that
good odor of ~Jesns Christ whid1 charms and attracts chosen
souls. Hell, affrighted at thesc generous beginnings, made
an effort to hinder them.
A wealthy you11g lady \Yho had Iost her parents, conceived a strong desfre to join the new community. She
planned to c on~enate hc1 great w<>a l ih to the establishment
of the Institute. \Vhen he1 relatives leained of her purpose,
they lefi: Ho sto11e untmned to prevent it. 'J'he affair reached
the ears of Mi. de Chenevoux who had given Cathedne
Flenrin the use of the honse in which ~he.r dwelt; he showed
great initation bccause they ha<l al>andoned the project of
1A ut og r a phi c Li f 0. c h. XLV r.
2Fo11ndn tion of tl1 c Ord e 1 of the ln carnn t e \Vnnl. (Origina 1 ma n11-

l" <T i p t, }). 2 6.)

'l'HE BEGINNING OF THE CONGIUATION AT RO~\.NNE

87

re-establishiug the Couvent of 1Trsnli11es in order to fonnd

a bouse of another Order and he clnimed h~s property.
The good intentions of the rich heiress, instead of bettering the situation of ~[other de ~latel and her dnnghte1s.
rendered it more uncertnin. They we1e obliged to leave the
d"elling that had sheltered them for nenrly t"o years, for
a rentecl one which they only fonnd afte1 many difficnlties.
This entailed an incrense of privations whreh, however, were
nccepted with joy. 'Ye1e uot these more valnable blessings
th an e:i.rthly things? 'l'hey augmentecl the easures of holy
poverty, the blessed enclmnnent of the \YOl'l\:s of God. None
had a tight to be more gratified nt this than the daughters
of the Incarnate 'Yord, 'Yho wns born in a stable.
Althongh :. Mother <le_ 1\Iatel arnl hel' <1aughtel's otservell
the practices in use in the more i>ious commnnities whose
fervor they ernulatt>d, still tlieir n~sociation hfl no eauouical existence. Tt had no npp10Jrntion from dio~ef.:a anthority.1 I1"nth er ~ieholns 1 >np011t, 1he eonfessor of :\lothee de
~fatel, thought it well l'or her to tnke aclYantage of the
extraordhrnry occasion of the .Juhilee _accorded hy Pope
Prbau YIII in 1 G~7, io visit Lyons. 'l'here she conld
solicit the approbation of Mg1. de ~lil-011 who \Ya~ atout to
take possession of the lH' mati al sec i 11 f nt ei ty. The Fa ther
said, ''The Jubilee wi11 serve n~ n cove1 of' yonr 1mrpose. If
y01fr efforts are frnitle~~. no one \Yill be the wh.;er; but if
God blesse~ yonr endenn)l's, we shall han~ "hat '"e want." 2
Moth e1 de :\fatel l'onml this reaso11i11g jndicious, but she
felt a grea t l'epng-11 an ce to m1 dertake the j onruey. Her conf essor told ber to receive Holy Communion for this intention and to commlt Onr Lord on i he project. ''As I obeyed,,,
she snys. "Yon withdre\Y my soul from its own inclinations.
attracted it to Yomself by a 1oving ecstns~~, and placed it
in a state of sweet enthusimmi. Yon pe1~uad<>d m e to mnke
1It is certain tl" at J.\fothE'l' cl e ~\Iatel h:u1 solictecl th e approYal of
Cardina l de Marquernont who occuvie(1 the aichiepiscopal ~ee of Lyons
from the beginning- of the foum1ation at Roanne in 1625. Tl1e contl'act of
the founclation of th e Monastery of Lyons, signecl on D ec. 30, 1655 , mentions the permission g ive n by tlrnt Cardinal ancl his successor, Mgr. cle
Miron, to assemble in community.
(See this contract Pic es justificatives, note F.)
2Autog-raphic Life, cl1 . XLYTTI.

88

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

this trip. You showed me a dolphin which was out of the

water and seemed about to expire. I said to you: 'Lord,
what do You wish me to understand by this vision?' 'My
daughter, as this dolphin is dying out of its element and
w"ithout its proper aliment, I tell thee that I would die, if
I could die again. If thou wilt go to Lyons, thou wilt place
Me in l\Iy element and provide Me with l\fy proper aliment,
wh ich is the establishment of the Order which I have commissioned thee to found.' m
I t was impossible to resist, but the repugnance of l\fother
de l\fa tel persisted. Her body was ravaged wi th fever, still
she armed herself with generosity and confidence. "I know
it was Your will," she said, "and not my own that I was
doing in undertaking this journey." 2 She departed, accompanied by Catherine Fleurin, and arrived at Lyons on l\fay
15, 1627, the day before the vigil of the Ascension. On that
same day, l\fgr. de Miron made his entry into his archiepiscopal city.
1Autographic Life, ch. XLVII.
2Ibidem.

CHAP'l'EH VIII
Approbation of the Congregation
Its Establishment at Lyons

1()27-16:28
~lother

de l\fatel's mission to Lyons was indispensable

for the existence of hcr little community, but its accomplishment was extremely difficult. Ecclesiastical authority
always assumes an attitude of wise reserve in approving recent forms of the religioiJs life, and ~Igr. de l\liron ha<l
already declared his dislike for new Institutes.
Before taking any direct step, Mother de nfatel spent
three days in gaining the Jubilee and in consulting those
'vho were desirous of promoting her cause. She .was not
unknown in Lyons, which was only about forty kilometers
from Roanne. She had formerly made seyeral visits there,
and the renown of her extraordinary virtues was already
widespread in that great city. Pe1:sons of distinction held
her in high esteem and manifested nrnch interest in her
work. Among this number were ~Iesdames de Coligny, de
Beauregard and de Champron; the counts of Eveine and of
Vichy, and l\ladame, the wife of President de Chevriere,
whose guest l\lother de l\fatel was. 'l'his lady undertook
to solicit an audience with the Prelate. The day appointed
for the interview was the Tuesday after Pentecost. All of
the above mentioned ladies resolved to accompany her to
meet the Archbishop, and she was to be introduced b~y Count
f1'Eveine.
The new Archbishop had previously convoked a council
to study the affairs of bis diocese. One of the first articles
which he recorded was a refusa! to establish any new Ortler.
Count d'Eveine had procured information relative to this
decision. He had been told that it had been made especially in view of l\1other de l\1atel's Congregation of which
. l\Ion~ignor had heard rnmors current in the city. The
S9

DO

LIFE OF

JEAX~E

CHEZ.AUD DE l\IA'l'EL

Cou ut sa id : '' \Yhy take the iisk of asking the Arch bishop ,s
approbation at snch an nufavo1able time? If he now refuses, it canuot be spoken of later on. 'Ylrnreas, in his
nhsence, the matter conld be more easily treatecl of with
)Jgr. de la Faye, the Vicar Geueral." The O'ount gave this
ad vice in the Primatial Palace of St. John, a few moments
before l\Iother de l\1atel went to the audience. She "~as in
a chapel in which there was a painting of St. Ignatius the
martyr. Lifting up ber eyes and heart to him, she conjures_
him to take her nnder his protection : she 8eeks the glory
of Him for whose love St. Ig1iatius had been glad to be
ground between the teeth or the lion. 'rl1en con:fiding in the
power of the Incarna te
orcl and the intercession of the
holy martyr, she ente1s the aichiepiscopal palace with the
noble ladies and Connt d'lDveine.
Tntroduced into the presence of the ..:~r~hbis hop, whose
mein at first appeared pwst stern, l\Iother de l\fa tel took
the last place. All eyes seemetl tmned -u pou he1. l\fonsignor rerinested ber to d1aw near that she might be interrogated. "How did you corne to think of fonnding a new
Ortler since so many ah:eady exist in the Chnrch? 'Yould
it not be preferable to devote onrselves to 1efonning the
ancient Orders, instead of creating new 011es '!" Her only
reply was to place in the harnls of the Prelate the letter
which her confessor Iiad given her. 'Yliat was her emlmrrassment when she heaid it Jead alond ! 'rhis letter related
several of the remarkable gTaees which Onr Lord had given
ber to prepme her to fnlfill this misf'.don. I t spoke of the
qna1ities with which she had been endowed to Jender her fit
to execute it, etc.
'rl1e poor l\Iothe1 wns ve1y much
em barrassed.
Healdug the torture whid1 these 1nti:-.;e:-.; can:.;ed htl' and
taking pity on ber, the A n~hbi~hop ~ai<l: "~Iy dm1ghter, I
am at your diRposal to give you a p1ivnt-e alHlience whcuever
you desi1e it.m Com1t d'Evei11c f'emi11g ihat if ~lothcr de
Matel had to mcct the Prelate,8 oppositiou alo11e, her petition would be smely Jcjected, he bcggcd thn t the i11tc1view
lJe defened mi f-il the followi11g <lny. l\fonsignm ncded to

"T

Aut<!grnphic Life, ch. XLVIII.

APPROBATION

OI1~

THE COXGREGATION

Dl

this request and directed his own confessor, Father ~lorin

of the Oratory, to be present.
This investigation lasted three hours. Our Lord re,. . ealed to her that she would have to undergo an e.xamination before several doctois and prelates, and told her to have
no fear of them. Ile did not fail her in these trying ordeals.
"I saw and knew," she tells us, '~that Yon gave me a month
whieh expressed yonr lights." He placed on ber Iips such
saga ci ty to reply to the objections that were made, and such
lncidity in her exposition of the divine desires in the matter of the new Onler, that :Jlonf;dgnor de 3lfron avowed
that '' he felt himse1f favorably inclined towards this Institnte, in spite of bis own judgment, because he could i;iot help
recognizing that it was a design of God's ".,.isdom which
surpa~~es all the wisdom of men. n
This Pl'elate's resolution to refuse to sanction the establishment of a ne"- Order, was not a blind, stubborn i dea. It
was based on good reasons. But seeing these outbalanced
by rensons of a higher order, he bowed his own honest, strong
will before the divine. Before reaching a final decision, be
wisbcd to make a thorongh investigation. He, therefore,
orderecl Father 3Iorin to examine :M other de :Ma tel on several occasions and directed him to make these examinations
according to the rnles proper for the discernment of superna tural opern tions in souls.
'flrnt illustrions religions acqnitted himself conscientiously of this mandate. IIe showed himself a prudent man
and a lenrnecl theologian. He omitted rio point to assure
himself that the chain of graces and revelations by which
Our Lord had, as she said, manifested His design. " 'as not
an artful inyention and tlrnt the vastness of her knowledge,
"'hich nppeared to be supernaturally infused, had not been
the result of cleYcr stndy. Such suppositions conld not
long stand before the sinc<>rity of l\lother de :~\latel and the
authe11ticity of the favors " . hich she had received. 'r11e most
insidions questions e\.,.oked ieplies which manifested her
goocl faith. The more eagerly Fniher ,\[01in tested h<>1
L\utographic Life , ch. XLYllI .

92

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

astonishfng knowledge of things divine, the greater were

the lightR which she revealed.
The learned religiom~ became thoroughly convinced that
ecclesiastical authority was confronted by a design of God,
and in this spirit he reported to l\fonsignor de l\firon the
result of his investigation. The latter, whose conviction
had been the same after l\1other de Matel's first examination
made in his presence, decided that he ought not to r_efuse
the authorization which she solidted.
He said to her: "My daughter, if that design were from
yourself alone, as I am one of the bishops most opposed
to new Orders, I would not grant it. But since it is from
God, T approve your Congregation for Roanne, since that is
what you request. Have a petition drawn up by Fathers
l\filieu and l\1aillant, and I will sign it.m
Tbese Fathers seeing the Prelate so favorable to the
Foundress, told her she should take advantage of his good
will to haye ber Congregation established at I.Jyons. The
protection of the Archbishop and the greater importance of
that city, would favor its progress. Father de Bense of the
Oratory and Madame de Chevriere being of the same opinion, l\fother de l\Iatel decided to follow it. She drew up the
petition and p1esented it to Monsignor de Miron, asking
him if he would kindly permit her to transfer the fonndation to Lyons. IIe replied: "My daughter, I would like
that hetter to-day than to-morrow. If such is your inclination, it will be my joy." 2 He signed the petition, affixed
the archiepiscopal seal, and gave his authorization to the
t ransfer of the Congrega tion from Roanne to Lyons. He
then spoke the following words of deep fatherly interest:
" My daughter, if a new Order could be established withont
a Bull, I would establish yours. And if I had not, only a
few days ago, begged Cardinnl Spada to inform Rome that
it is better t o reform ancient Ordeis than to fonnd new ones,
1 myi;;;eH wo uld Jletition the Roly Father for a Bull to
cs ~ a b l i sh yom Oider . Hnt T am Hot lrnmhle enongh to re1J'at what I wrote aud thonght th1ee days ago. But it is
i ..\

utog-rnp h ic L if(", cl1. X LVIII.

:2TlJi rl em.

APPROBATION OF THE

CO~GREGATION

93

my advice and desire that you sencl a supplication to His

Holiness iu your own narne. The Pope will have it examined
by the Congregation of Regulars, and afterwards, if, as you
say, your reqnest asks to be under the Ordinary, the Bull,
when granted, "'"ill be sent to me, and I promise you that I
,Yin execute it immediately. Do your utmost to secure a
hom.;e in Lyons suitable for your community.m
This change, so complete and nnhopecl for, sh<wed clearly
that this work was from God, for only to such conviction
could the Prelate have surrenclered his judgment. As to
the transfer to Lyons, the divine good pleasure was declared
to Mother de l\fatel by the counsels of her directors and by
the whol-hearted support of her Archbishop. Providential
circumstances seemed to direct her every step. After leaving the Archbishop, :Mother de Matel, who was previously
invited, 'vent to dine with a respectable widow of the quarter of St. George named Madame Colomb. This. lady informecl her that there was in the neighborhood, a house
suited for the needs of a community. This building had but
recently been vacated by the Sisters of St. Clare for one
more favorably situated in the center of the city. l\fother
de Matel lost no opportunity tht presented itself to favor
the establishment of her Congregation and she went immediately to inspect the house.
As soon as she hacl entered, her divine Oracle utterecl
these words: Haec reqnics mca ,; lzic habitabo, qnoniam elegi
-ca m. ''1 his is the place of rny rest; here shall I cl well for I
have chosen it." 2
On viewing the surroundings, she recognizes tlle holy
mount, which she saw two years previons, in a vision, and
on the surnmit of which she beheld the Eternal Father holding all the claughters of the Incarnate 'Yord in the augnst
bosom in which He incessantly begets the \Yard. Finally,
the fonner sojonrn of the daughters of St. Clare in that
house, recalled to her what that Saint had promised in
lGl 9 when she appeared in the company of St. 'l1eresa and
i-;aid that "she w'oulcl aid her in something great.''
1

1Autographic Life, ch. X to XYIII ,

2Ps. CXXXI, 14,

LIF'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

The Divine 1\faster therefore wished her to eFltablish the

community at Lyons and He Himself had madd out the
site of the dwelling. She chose that select spot and informed 1\fgr. de 1\firon to that effect. The venerable Prelate, happy in seeing the band of God guiding this whole
enterprise, with the goodness of a fathe1, placed his carriage
at the service of l\fother de l\Iatel, advised her to return to
Homme, arrange all business matters and bring to Lyons
her littlc community.
Favored with the kindnesses and benedictions of her
.Archbisbop, she left Lyons with Sister Catherine Fleurin.
As certain anangements did not permit her immediate retnrn, she sent ahead of her Sister Catherine, Sister Claud
Bernard, and two yonng pupils who were unwilling to be
separated from them.
'Vhen the little caravan arrivell at the honse which was
to be the cradle of the Order, they found nothing bnt bare
walls. A basket was the only wardrobe, a rope their only
clothes rack, etc. It is in this cradle of poverty that the
Incarnate Word wishes to be born again. Like true daughters of this divine King of the poor, "they were," relate
piously the memoirs of the fonndation, "in unspeakable
j ubila tion to see themsel ves poor and helpless; they th us
imitate the better the Incarnate " Tord poor and abject, for
\Vhose love they willingly snffered all things, not only withont complaint, but with joy. It is in this that God is pleased
a nd that g1nce most ab01mds: the Jess there is of the created, t he more there is of God.m
On cou cl nding he1 bnsi uess n ff afrs, l\fother de Ma tel
1etur11ed to I.yons an d partially fnrnished the house with
the effects brought from Uomrne. In a short time Siste1
Claude Bernard's talents attrncted a nmnber of young lady
boar<ler8. 'r11is was n ~omcc of 1evenne to the little commnnity, all(l it secrnccl dcstined to JH'ORpc1'. 'r'he reception
of scve1al SdPr8 ildo the Co11gregntion Hl:-\o m1gnred well
f'm j i R e~ hi hl iRh ment. . \ 11 w ho Ra w 1he 11.,01rnd 1e~R were
till0<1 wi1h td111i1a 1io11 , 1eR pPd :rn<l affedio11 for hel', aud
1Fot11 1< lati()tl of' 111<

I1w;1n1:d \\' onl.

(Origi n al nwm1 scri pt, p. 43.)

95

took a keeu iute1est in he1 work. The pl'otedion which the

Archbishop acco1clec1 the yonng Congregation was both a
recommendation and a pledge of the immediate can<?nicnl
erection of this new religions Order.
Such, howeyer, were not the \iews of ProYidence. )fany
and arduous trials~ long and anxious waiting were to p1ececle the clay when these hopes would be realized. As the
blessed birth of the Incarnate \Yord had been the object of
so many longings, prajers and ardent expeetation of the patriarchs of old, so "as this mystic rebirth to be called dmn1
by burning desires~ abundant tears, and inYincible hope.
The Yery :first year opened an era of tribulations for the
little fonndation.
Contrary to his pJans and Ye1y much to his distaste )fr.
de )fatel "as obligea to return to Roanne, consequentl,Y he
macle no effort to hide his irritation. He announced tlrnt
as SOOn as Jeanne asked him fo1 her ]JOrtion of ber mother's
estate she wonld feel "hat a father can be when enragecl.
To feel her father's u~jnst anger; to see herself 1 the
dilemma of being unable to obey him without resisting the
will of Go; to un der go the pri n1ti on of her righ tfn l ma ternal inheritance at the moment when 8he most needed it to
support the struggling Congregation and to take the steps
for obtalng the Bull of approbation at Rome-all were
causes of great pain and humiliating embarrassment. The
absence of )lgr. de ::\liron aggra\ated the:-:e circnmstanees.
ITe was obliged to go to Paris. He left Lyons in the rnonth
of September. 1627, and returned only to\Yards the middle
of the following year. The Foundress saw her "ork at a
standstill, and, according to her expression, she "as fo1ced
to practice patience and take in her ~mils during those tempests, as there was no gleam of hope in the near future of
being able to petition Rome.
This retardation of her work " as, for )lother de )fatel.
an epoch of ardent supplications for the interests, not only
of her own specia 1 mission but for tl10se of France. In the
hearts of saints, l OYe fol' the il herffenly con n try is far from
absorbing their affection for thefr earthly comitr,Y. As their
love for God grows greater, in the ~ame mensure their reY-

DG

LIF'l 1: OF

.JI~.\.>J~E

CHEZ ~\nD

DE l\IATEL

ereuce for the depositories of God's anthority, and their

zeal for the wclfare of their nei ghbor increases. rrhus we
shall see l\fothe1 de l\latel taking fo heart nll the hnppy or
unhappy events of her time.
After having recovered sornc da,rs of peace m1d ino~1)e1ity
under the paternal administration of Henry I\r, France hnd
seen, through the action of minorities, another outburst of
revolts of nobles, insurrections of Protestants aud civil wars.
At that moment, through the genius of Richelieu, she was
beginniug to find a remedy for her exterior evils. But the
nation was taking to heal't the sorrows of its pions Queen.
After the several years of her union with Louis XIII, Anne
of Austria had not yet had the consolation of giviug him an
heir to the throue. From every part of France, prayers
ascended to Heaven to beg this gift of God. From the
year 1621 Fathe1s Cotton and Jacquinot requested 1\lother
de l\fatel to beseech Our Lord to bless the arms of the King
and grant the desires of the Queen. Mother de l\latel re- . ._
ceived prophetic assurances which the future fully realized.
God made known to her that Louis XIII wonld conquer his
rebellions subjects and bring them nnder obedieuce; that
he would triumph over the Protestants and that God, out
of love for St. Louis, the King's illusfrious ancestor, and
also out of consideration for the King's father, Henry IV,
Louis XIII would have au heir, and would be loved by the
Divine l\1ajesty, because he had loved justice and hated
iniquity. In 1625, she saw in a vision a tree blossomed in
lilies and she heard: "this tree is the generation of Louis
XIJ f."
Father Voisin, then the director of l\Iofer de ~fatel, on
being inforrned of these visions said to ber, dnl'ing one of
. his visits to Homme towards the end of September of the
year 1 G37: " Urge Our Lord to accornplish the promises He
made to you in favor of their l\Iajesties. 'Yben shal l om
good QlIC~ en give a Dauphin to France'? I shall say l\Iass
for that inteution on Sunday, October 3. Yon must assist
nt i t and pI'ay f'o1 the sa11w purpose."
On the dny nppointed, the pions Fonudrrss went to pray
i11 llcr own OI'at01y ear1y in the morui11g. She was soon

APPROBATION OF 'l'HE CONGREGATION

97

ia1Jt in God aud heard these wonls: ""I will magnify My

meicy upon your Queen. I will visi t her as I visited St.
E~Iizal>eth hy making her a mother.m 1-'his promise 'Yas like
a river of joy inundating her heart. But she had to tear
herself away from the consolations of this prayer vd1ich
Heaven had heard, to go to Father Voisin's :Mass. On the
w-ay, the I 1""athe1's words recur to her memory: ' Take care
lest it be your own inclination and not God that speak:s.''
Her heart to which happiness and hope had been opened
now felt itself contracted by fear as she thought to herself:
"lt might well happen that I could be the victim of a delusion as so many others have been." 2
God, \Vho is not the spirlt of unrest, soon restores peace
and confidence in the heart to which He w ishes to make a
comlllunication. As she enters the church door, He speaks
to her: Ad queni auteni rcspiciam nisi ad panperculzun et
cohi1'itwn spiritu et trementem scrnwnes meos. "But to
whom shall I have respect but to him that is poor and Iittle
and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at My words '?" 3
'Vhen she is in the middle of the church, she bears the text
of Osee as applied to Louis XIII: Justus gcnninabit sicut
liliwn. 'arhe just man shall bud like the Iily." 4 As she hears
this all-powerful and well-known Voice, her doubts vanish
and are succeeded by a state of delightful conviction which
throws her into an ecstasy. During this rapture, Our Lord
shows her a sword surrounded by a luminous aureola and
enclosed in a scabbard of black velvet, and upheld by a
celestial power. He says to her: '"My daughter, this sword
is that of Louis XIII, vd10m I will make victorious at La
Rochelle." Theu a divine ray coming from the tabernacle
where the Blessed Sacrament resided, rests on herself and
at the same time she hears: " I wish to feed among lilies.
I will establish l\Iy Ortler after the victories and the blessings gi ven to the King and to the Queen." 5
Father Voisin wished her to give him an account of what
1Autogrnphic Life, ch. XLIX.
2Ib ic1 em.
3Isaias, LXVI, 2.
40see, XIV, 6.
5Antographic Life, ch. XLIX.

98

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAilD DE MA.TEL

had passed in her son l. rl'his she did with her invariable
candor. ~rhis Father's esteern for the snpernatural gifts of
his penitent, made him hope that the.se promises would some
da,v be realized. God granted him the happiness of seeing
thern accomplished even to the minutest detail. He, as well
as Fathers J ncquinot, de :Meaux, and Gibalin lived long
enongh to be witnesses worthy of credit of the gift of prophecy granted to l\fother de Matel.
In fact, all was prophetic in what she had seen and heard.
rrhe gleaming sword enveloped in mourning well expressed
the circumstances of the capture of La Rochelle, on the one
band so glorions for the gigantic efforts which it accornplished, and on the other hand so pitiless towards the victims of that rebe.Jlious city. Ont of its 30,000 inhabitants,
29,000 perished from famine during its desperate resistance ! The tierce Guiton, mayor of the city, had placed a
dagger on the Council table to stab the first man who would
speak of sunender: "Tt is enough that one man remairrs to
shut the gates," was bis reply to those who said that La
Hochelle wou] <1 soon be a desert.
At that time, 1\fother de Matel did not even know that
that city was besieged. The preliminaries for the siege were
only beginning, and yet the victory was announced to ber
a whole year before. As to the promise made regarding
the postcrity of Louis XIII, it was necessary to wait eleven
years for its realization; and as had been foretold the establishing of the Order of the Incmnate 'Vonl was to be only
after the birth of the Dauphin. rri1e royal child, the object
of so many prayers, was born on September 5, 1638. On
necember 15, 1639, at Avignon, the first five religions of
the I ncarnatc 'Vord were clothed with the holy habit of the
01der.
'l111e favorable assurances given to l\iother de J\fatel did
not make ber diminish ber prayel's. She not only raised ber
owH bands to Heaven in behalf of the King who was fighting
heretics m1d rebcls, but shc kindled in the hearts of others,
the zeal which was bnrning in her own. On the feast of
Ali Saints, November 1, 1 G27, she assembled ber little pu pils
seve1al time~ to joiu her in asking God to defeat the Duke

99

.APPROBATIOX OF THE COXGREGATIOX

of Buckingham who, at the head of an English fleet, came

to aid the Protestants of La Rochelle. "She hoped that
these inno~cent souls would obtain access to the I.amb of
God, to obtain from Him that He would become the Lion
'Tanquisher of Buckingham.m Our Lord promises this to
her.
Saint :Jlichael, the Generalissimo of the celestial legions.
offered himself to ber, "to take care of the King and h is
army, as he had done in the time of Joan, the :Jiaid of
Orleans, and he conducted :Jiother de :Jiatel into the presence of the Lord of Hosts \Vho sent from Zion the 'Rod'
of His power to rnake of His enernies the footstool, not only
of His own feet, but also of those of Louis XIII.'~
\Yho does not recognize in this Rad of the strength of
God, the celebrated minister whose mighty energy knew
hqw to tame the audacious hanghtiness of nobles, quell the
reYolt o-f heretics nd e\en the waYes of the sea. Richelieu.
like Alexander the Great, constructed an immense dike
which pre\ented the entry of the fieet, and thus hindered
protestant Englancl from lending aid to La Rochelle.
\Vhilst )Iother de )fatel was taking such zealous interest
in the struggles of France, the tirne of trial for her great
work was upon her . . Towards the end of the year -1628.
"Thile praying in the Carmelite Church, she heard Our Lord
sa:r to her: P ercutiam Pastorem et disperg entur ov es gregis. 3
At these words she is seized with fright. \Yhat is to beco_me of her little fiock 'Yhose sole future depends on it~
Archbishop, if the hand of God strikes that good Shepherd !
She represents this to the adored :Jiaster. She prays and
conjures Him to reYoke this decree. But He appears insen sible to her clesires and tears. She reiterates her supplications, and hoping that God will hearken to her pleading she
says nothing about this reYelation to her dear Archbishop
nntil fincling the soyereign .Judge insensible to her praye1s
she informs the worthy Prelate. On April 80, 1628, in fi
1nvtnrc, :--he agai11 henrs the fatal decree : Pcrr'ufia m pas
2

L \utograp h ic Life, ch. XLIX .

2I b iclem.

3Za ch . XIII, 7.

100

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\INl'EL

torcm et dispcrgcntu.r oves grcgis! "At this second utterance," she tells us, "my heart felt as if it had been pierced
or cnt in two. I said to Yon: l\Ty W'"ell-beloved, I feel my
little ftock dispersed. This Archbishop is favorable to us
and You wish to take him away frorn me.'"
"My
daughter," replied the Divine l\faster, "you must go to
Paris.m Any strnggle hecame impossible. There was nothing to do but to be. resigned. Our Lord seemed to take
away her on ly clefence. She who in other circumstances
did not hesitate to ask the seemingly impossible, now saw
herself powerless to pray. Her supplications seemed as an
arrow that fell to the earth instead of piercing the sky.
On l\Iay 5, 1\fother de l\fatel wrote to l\fgr. de l\firon what
Our Lord had revealed to her. The Prelate knew, from experience, the precision with which the words of the humble
Foundress were verified and received the news as a message
from Heaven. He replied that he submitted and that he
humbled his soul under the mighty hand of God. He hastened to complete the affairs which detained him at Paris,
and returned to bis diocese. On his arriva], he manifested
such gratitude and confidence in l\lother de l\fatel and
showed snch eagen1ess to be of service to her, that it increased her grief and humiliation. He told her of his desire to please God in everything, and he charged her to
acquaint him with anything that the Divine l\Iajesty revealed in his regard.
On the vigil of the feast of St. Igna tins, ~J uly 30, l\fother
de l\fatel was conversing with tl{e Archbishop and two Jesuits, Fathers Milieu and d' Arnoux, who came to iuvite him
to be present at their solemnity of the next clay. After
1eplyi11g to thefr ieqnest, he sa id to them as he introduce<l
the Fonndress, " Dear :Fathers, it is necessary fol' these, my
daughte1s, to press their affair at Rome. Shonld God give
me the graec to li ve, I wonld exeeute the Bnll most gladly."
'l'h en hnning- to her, he said in a most fathe1ly tone: "l\Iy
dan bah ter' wha t cm1 I <lo to he of se1vice to ,,you ?" Sh~ was
HW\'P<l t o th e ho Hom of her ~011 l mul ipp] ie<l: '"l\f orn.dgnor,
yon h:t v<' :the:uly pl<He<l me 1m<le1 ~uch ohligaticrns that l
1A ut ogTH pl 1ic Lif0, C' l1. L .

APPROBATION OF THE CONGREGATION

101

feel overwhelmed by them. Our Lord wishes to give to

another the completion of the establishment of His Ortler,
as He gave to you that of its commencement." 'l"he Archbishop understood. 'l111inking that she may have something
else to communicate to him, he urges her not to fear but to
speak freely. He assures ber that he receives her communications as coniing from God and that he endeavors to profit
by them. As she is withdrawing, he repeats to her: "l\1y
daughter, how desirous I am of rendering you some little
servi ce !m
She was never to see him again. On August 5, l\fother
de :Matel was at the couvent of the Oapuchins, visiting Fathers Pontian and Irenaeus, who had corne to Roanne to
assist at a Ohapter, when the news that the Archbishop
had just succumbed to a stroke of apoplexy, spread universai consternation.
In silence l\1other de l\fatel submits and adores the will
of God. ''How is this," asked Father Pontian, "that you
eured me by your prayers when the physicians had abandoned ail hope and now leave our good Shepherd die, who
was so favorable to you ?'' She hnmbly replies: "Father,
there are times W'hen God is pleased that we beseech Him
with tears, to revoke His conditional decrees, as He did for
King Ezechias. "TIThen I asked God to reverse the judgments
of physicians for you and for Father de l\1eaux, the Roly
Spirit prayed in me with nnspeakable groanings and compelled me to ask with great simplicity what He, through
His own goodness, desired to grant; but now, I cannot even
pray, despite the lm~s T suffer. It is the divine decree that
the good Shepherd shonld leave me and I must submit, not
0~1ly with resignation, but lso with reconciliation to the
good pleasure of m;v God." 2
During the night after this fatal blow, Our Lord poured
the balm of consolation into the wounded heart of the
Foundress. It was so effective that the worthy l\lother could
only adore and abandon herself to His holy will. Her be1eaved religions family also shared these dispositions. ~rI10se
1Autographic Life , ch, L .
?.Autographie Life , c h. L .

102

LIF'l<J OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'rEL

who knew how highly l\lother de l\Iatel had been favored

by the Prelate, now mourned by all, supposed her to be
plunged into saclness and anxiety. Her friends came to presen t their conclolence and encouragement. But when they
sa w the resignation, peace, and confidence of the little community, they went away edified and were coilsoled themselves.
'Yhen l\Iother de :l\fntel knew that the sentence pronounced against the Aych bishop was irrevocable, she begged
Our Lord to giye he1 as liis successor, Mgr. Alphonse Richelieu. rrhis prelate who had been nominated to the bishopric
of Lucou, had resignecl that see in favor of his younger
brother, Armand de Hichelien, the future minister of
France, in 01der to retire to the grande-Chartreuse. There
he had taken the 11101rnstic habit and macle the vows of a
religions. Twenty years afterwmds he had been constrained
to give up his solitude nnd necept the archbishopric of Aix.
He had occnpied thnt see t"To yearR before the death of l\Igr.
de l\f iron.
The~e long years in the rel igionR li fe led Mother de l\latel
to hope tlwt, as Archbishop of Lyons, l\Igr. de Richelieu
wonld protect the work with which she had been commissioned by the Tncaiuate "Tord. She may also have been
inftuencecl by the gratitude which her pions patriotism felt
for the se1viceR iencle1e<l to Fnrnce hy the great Cardinal
:Minister, to eRin~ to be g<wer1H:d by h is hrother and to show
him rcspectful devotcdness. 'Vhatever motive impelled her
she continued her supplirati01rn mnemittingly nntil Our
Lord revealed to ber that they were granted, but not without restrictions. He Raid to her: " Yon shall have him,
but yon shal1 be like ~Tc~nte ' s danghter, destined for sacrificcs.m No 1ight nccompmiied those words to make their
mPm1i11g: cl<a1 miel in inte1preting them , :-;he followed the
<li<(nt~R ol' hel' heal'L
Rhe thonght it lrn<l refeience to the
~ac1i f('P ~lie wi1-d1P<l 1o rnake of hcl'f-;elf to G0<l hy the rrli gion~ pl'of'p~~i011.

'1,h e futme was io :ive a vcry <liffere11t intcrpretatioH .

.. Yon <l i<l not thc11 gi ve rnc i he :1acP to .mHlP1:-;ta1ul the manlJ\ ut og r a pll ic L i fc, c ll . L.

APPflOD.\.TIOX OF THE COXGflEG.\. TIOX

103

ner in which I would be ~ae1ificed;' she w1ites, but experience has eleared it np. \Yi th my corn pan ions I have not
to lament my virginity, but the long waiting to conseC'l'atc
i t to Y on by solemn yows. '' 1
The glory of procming the establishment of His Orcler
which the Incarnate "~ orcl clestined for another hesides :Jlgr.
de Miron, was not to be accorclecl to Cardinal Richelieu.
After the first ne,Ys received by the Foundress of the death
of her good pastor, Our Lord had shown her in a vision a
priest raised up in the air and celebrating at the altar, the
holy mysteries. He said to her: This is he who W'"ill establish the monastery of Lyons." He had a smiling face
and blonde hair. He was short of stature but g1eat in mincl.
I clarecl not ask his narne. Yon said to me: He is attached
to the Oratory .'' 2 One day, :Jiother de :Jla tel "ill recognize
in. 3lgr. Camillus de :Xenville that inie~t with the pleasing
physiognomy, a man small in body but great in mind/'
whom she had seen bet\Yeen Heayen and carth discharging
his function of sacrificer. He will be the one "ho "ill
establish the monastery at Lyons and become it:-\ protector
and father.
'l'he first part of the prophecy announcing to :Jlother de
:Jiatel the deatb of her A1chbishop) was accomplished. 'l'he
shepherd had been struck and the disversion of the flock
quickly follo"ed. For several months, the antiphons, versicles, and lessons of the Office for the Dead, had somehow
been evee on the lips of Mother de Matel and, withont her
knowing why, they became the formnlm of all her ejaculatory prayers. She soon unclerstood the cliYi11c reason for
them. Sorne days after the obsequies of :Jlgr. de :Jliron) a
pest showecl itself at the very gates of the city. Tmyarcls
the latter days of the month of . _'-\ .ugust, the city "as a vast
morgue. The plague ragecl w'ith terrible violence. Three
Jnmdred deaths were counted in one honr. The hearses on
which the corpses were heaped, rumbled by day aucl night,
and we1e not sufficient to JJel'fo1m theii- g1uesome tnsk.
Boats had to be impressed into se1Tice.
1 A u t ographi c

:? lbicl e m.

Life, ch . L .

104

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

I huing the te1-ror and desolation which reigned on all

sicles, l\fother de l\fa tel was touched more by the offen ces
which had been committed against God, than by the chastisements with whicb He was pnnishing them, and she gave
herself up to conition and penance, without a thought of
the dangers to whicb she was exposed. Sorne of her daughters feared for her, but there was divergence of views. Of
the six members who composed the community, three were
of op1ion that the Incarnate \Yord having cbosen their
l\Iother to institute an Order, would not permit her to succnmb to the sconrge, and that she ought uot to leave Lyons.
The other three thonght that to expect a miraculous preservation 'vhen tbey had the means to escape the danger, would
be to tempt God, and that not to take precautions would be
to bazard the very existence of the Ortler by endangering
the life of the Foundress. Snch also was the opinion of the
friends of the Congregation.
\Vhile tlrns nrged in opposite directions .by two sets of
counselors, l\fother de Matel remained indifferent and calm.
Finally, Fathers l\lilieu and Arnoux intervened. They did
not wish her to expose herself to danger any longer, and
ordered her to accept the offer made to her by Mr. and Mrs.
de Pure to take ber to theil' Castle of Bermond, near Roanne.
'ro persuade her to take tbis course, they told lier that in
this vicinity some religions women lived outside of tbeir
cloister and were deprived of spiritual helps, and that tbey
were in gre.at ignorance of the duties of their state of life.
She was persuaded that by instructing them she conld pe.rhaps lead them bnck to a more edifying life.
The hope of bringing nearer to God souls whom He
especially loved and whom the lack of knowledge kept far
away from H im, was of the kind to tempt her zeal. But
to abandon her own dear family which was still in its cradle
and in the midst of a crisis, seemed a sacrifice impossible
for ber to make. Althongh insensible to personal danger
from the horrible sconrge, shc was deeply concerned for her
daughters; she felt ~he would live in a continuons state of
nlann if separai-ed from them by such a distance.
It was
ncccs~rn 1v to use the force of obedience to make her accept

APPROBATIOX OF THE COXGREGA.TIOX

105

this separation. And it was only on Septern ber 1, 1628,

feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, that she tore herself from the arms of her dear daughters.
I t was her last adieu to two of them whom she ''Tas neYer
again to see. One of them without suspecting it, "Tas already attacked by the contagion when she was embracing
her mother and died in six days; the other succumbed a few
weeks la ter.
Our I . . ord, \\Tho demanded these painful sacrifices, blessed
the delicate deT'ices of her zeal to reform the religions of
Dorieux. They had exceJlent natural dispositions. W'"hat
was deficient in their conduct came rather from lack of
instruction tban from deliberate malice. At first she \isited them under the prete:xt of seeking consolation on account
of her separation from her religions family. Gradually
she inspired them with such affection for herself, on account
of her delicate cbarity, and such Yeneration for her virtues,
that they spontaneously solicited her admonitions and counsels and reqnestecl to make a spiritual retreat under her
direction from which they reaped the happiest fruits. Later
on) )Iother de )Iatel had the consolation of learning that
God had gfren those religions the grace of lea\ing tbis solitary place and of entering at I.yons. the con\ent of the Yisitation, popularly called the Antiquaille.
\\Thile she was de\oting herself to this mission, Father
Arnoux informed Father Jacquinot of the dangers to which
)Iother cle 3Iatel and her work were exposed. \\Tas it not
well for her to take adyantage of the need of quitting Lyons
to make a journey to Paris? She might try to establish
herself at Paris. Father Jacquinot residing there \YOuld be
in a position to help her.
The latter not onl.' approYed the plan but urged its immediate execution. )Iother de )Iatel was in full accord
with these de,oted friends.
A journey to Paris in those days was a difficult and e:xpensiYe matter. )fother de )Iatel had no means at her disposa!. She had spent the li t tle money she had on provisions
to be sent to ber dnnghters. n od beemne her ProYider. ~Ir .
de Pure. hadng :-:een the Jette1s in whith Father J acquinot

106

LIFE OF JEANNE CHIDZARD DE 1\L\.'l'EL

mgecl her to corne to Paris as soou as possible, offered

to take her there. Barly in November, 1G28, they embarked
on the Lofre. 'rl1ey had to take the boat two leagues from
Homme, whi ch city had aheady been infected by the pest.
l\fother de l\fatel never nndel'took any journey without
extreme repngnance. 'l,1aveling seemed a torture both to
body and soul. She had never made one so long or painful
as this. Her stomach iejected almost all nonrishment and
her spirit snffered violence as if she were being dragged by
force. 'Vhen she was alone her tears flowed in abundance.
'Vben they reached Orleam~, she was so exhausted that it
was rlecided that she wonld remain the1e for some days to
iecuperate, and that l\Ir. de Pure wonld continue alone on
his way to Paris, to explain to Father .Jacqninot the reasons
for this delay at 01learn;;;. OJ l1is ow11 accord, Father Jacquinot had provided for thi:;;; situation . .He had written to
li'ather Jgnatins de Heyne, Snpel'ior of the Jesnits at Orleans, to detaiu l\lother de l\fa tel for a few days, and the
latter before receiving this missive had invited her to take
a littl e rest before continning lier jonrney.
Dicl he have a inese11timent of the graces he was to
procure dming the sojoun1 of the saintly traveler? 'r11e
fact was that dnring the seventeeu days l\fother de Matel
spent in Ol'leans, he never tired of c01wersing with her on
the things of Gocl. He fonnd willing friends to care for
her health, and he introdneecl he1 to rnany persons of virtne
and dif.inetion in the city. As she was on the point of departing he tohl her of his ievel'ential regard and his esteem
for her : '"My danghter, in my opi11ion , yon receive from
God more favors than ans other ('l'eatnre on earth. Since
my con versations with yon~ T have been delivered from a
i; ; piritmd malady which lm~ made me gray as yon see me,
althongh I am still yonng. Ncithe1 refreats nor interior
mHl ext0ri01 rnol'titkatiolls hionght m1y 10lief to my snfferi ng~ .
T admire the 1rn1iiy wiih which yon are privileged
and whi eh pm;se~ to thosc who freat wi th you.m
'rlii s Father was a man or extraordiHary virtue. God
had called him to a high deg1ce of ~'mctity and hnd made
lAutograpllfc Life, ch. LI.

.\PPROB.\TIOX OF THE COXGREG.\TIOX

107

liim vass through g1eat ibulations. Towards the end of

his career, God ~eut him the olive branch by the hands of his
humble hanclmaid, just as t"?o years later Saint Chantal.
arrfred at the end of her course, receivecl it frorn the hands
of St. Yincent de Paul in whose presence Yanished the terrible trials which had put the seal on her eminent virtues.
Fa ther de Reyne had scarcely seen departing from Orleans her through whom peace had been restored to his soul,
than he was called by God to Himself. His death which
was most sudden, far from taking myay from his last moments the use of his faculties, seemed to illumine them with
rays of hea-rnnl3y bea ti tu de. His spirit \Yas filled w ith divine
lights and his heart inflamed with intense love. All the witnesses of this cleparture were transported with admiration
and begged to die a death like that.

CHAPTER IX
First Sojourn at Paris

1628-1632
On November 29, 1G38, l\fother de l\fatel reached Paris
with her soul fn11 of sadness. She saw herself a stranger
and without means in the midst of the great city. The only
person from whom she had a right to expect any help was
the one whom she most dreaded. On leaving Roanne for
the Court, l\fr. de l\fatel had not renounced his purpose of
making his daughter feel the effects of his resentment. To
these apprehensions founded on her father's state of mind
which was only too well known, there was, perhaps, added
a secret intuition of the sufferings 'vhich were in reserve for
her in the capital, for Paris was to be her Calvary. She
says: "l arrived on the vigil of the A postle St. Andrew.
Everything in my soul being a cross, I tried to salute the
holy Cross with that Saint. As soon as .I had fallen upon
my knees to adore You there, I burst into tears and said
to Y ou : 'Dear Lord, I adore You and I thank Y ou for
having brought me to Paris, according to Your promises.
I know full well that here I shall suffer and find crosses.
I left Lyons on the day qf the Exaltation of Your holy
Cross. I do not refuse any of the crosses which Y ou have
destined for me. I apprehend those which my father, who
is in this city, will make me suffer. If it pleases You to do
so, give me courage or conform his disposition to Your
wishes, since he is angry with me only because I have left
bis house to follow Your orders.' m
Our Lord heard her prayer. On her first visit, paternal
affect ion rcawoke in the heart of that father who had cherished her so tenderly. His wrath was disarmed and his conduct was altogetber different from what he had menaced.
He 1eveals not only affection, but also respect, for bis daugh1J\ 11togra phi c Lifc, c h . LIT.

108

FIRST SO.lOUHN

A'r

l'AHIS

lOD

ter whose whole personality beams with_sanctity. Although

her father showed that bis heart was again softened towards
her, she was unwilling to ask him anytbing to relieve her
necessities. "\Yould be not have replied that to want for
nothing, she had only to go back home?
A certain l\fb:s Guilloire, a penitent of Father J acquinot,
had offered to give Mother de l\fatel hospitality until Easter,
and the offer had been accepted. But the time came when
that charitable hospitality 'vas to end. "\Vhat is she to do?
She addresses herself to Him \Vho so many times had said
to her: "In My hans is thy fa te, in ~fy bosom are thy easnres." She represents to Him that "As long as the Hebrews
still had remaining some of the fiour of Egypt, no manna
fell. But as soon as they had nothing left, that bread from
Henven had been given to them. She, too, on H!s orders, had
left the land in which she had d";.elt, to go where He had
wished. She relies on His Providence.m
Her divine P1ovider did not break His word. 'l'he new
Foundress had corne in contact with persons of the highest
rank. Her eminent piety, distinction, and candor soon won
their heurts. The Duchess of Rocheguyon, in particular,
"lo\:ed her as a daughter," and she wished to prove this by
kind deeds. Ilut she had not yet received her inheritance
and she and her whole household were living at the expense
of her aun t, Miss de Longueville. She said to 1\Iother de
~fatel, "Pray God that I may receive my dowry and you
will then lack nothing." She prayed, and the affairs of the
Duchess were so 'vcll arranged that on Roly 'rhursday, 1629,
she was in a position to lease a house in which she installed
her pions protege. In the contract of the lease, she assnred
her the use of this prope1ty for three years.
The next day, Good Friday, on awaking, :Mother de Matel
saw a wine press which she was to turn by herself. For
some days the words: Oollcgcnwt consilium a-dvcrsus
.Jesum. "'l'hey assemblPd a conncil agaiust Jesus,'' 2 constantly came to her mind. She could uot UJJply them to the
memmres taken against Our Savior at the time of His Pas1Autographic Life, clt. LII.
2Matt. XXVII, 1.

110

LmI<J OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IArl'EL

sion, and she had a presentiment that there was a question

of something actual. She said, "Dear Lord, who is it that
is holding a council against Your Order ?m She obtained
no answer but understood that she would receive one from
the events, and that she ought to prepare herself for sufferings. For this purpose, she asks Father J acquinot's permission to make a retreat. That Father's residence bein()'
very far from the place where she dwells, she asks his leave
to make her retreat under the direction of Father de Lingendes who is preaching a mission near by.
~

This was agreed upon. On Easter l\fonday she begins

her retreat and continues it without any special incident.
Father de I.ngendes seeillg with what abundant tears she
accuses herself of her faults in a general confession, says
to her: " l\Iy daughter, the wine press which has been shown
to you, is the contrition which God accords you." 2 The following Friday, he had changed his opinion. He calls l\fother
de l\fatel and says to her: "'Are you ready to turn the wiue
press alone and to support the greatest cross of your whole
life ?"-'Vhat is it ?-He hesitates to tell ber on that day.She insists.-"Letters have corne from Rome forbidding all
the J esuits of their three houses in Paris to have anythiug
to do with you or your work. After three days, I shall not
be able to speak to you. For as I have that time left to
remain out of our Professed House, I have begged the Superior to permit me to receive the prohibition of my Superior,
Fa ther J acquinot, only after my return to the college. 'Vhat
do you say of this cross?" "Father, it is great, but I have
a Gocl 'Vl10 is still greater !" ~rhe Father says with a smile,
"'Ah! you play the part of a courageous woman, but tomorrow and after will not this courage be beaten down ?''
"' If your Heverence will assure me that a 11 the lights I
ha ve received arc not illusions, as your Fathers who have
gnided me from my childhood have alwnys assured me that
they are not, I do not fear that cross. 'Vith God I can
1 A uto gra phi c Li fe, c ll. Lli.
21 hicl E>m.

FIRST SO.JOGRX AT P_-\RIS

111

do all things. He will give me the necessary courage ancl

strength.?n
The storm ''"hich burst so unexpectedly on the head
of the poor ~Iother was willed by God. But it had a cause
which \Yas human. HmY could the General of the Society
of ~Tesus ha-re corne to such a determination? The follo-\Ying is the e:xplanation:
The passage of the Foundress through Orleans and the
graces granted through her to Father de Reyne had there
aroused great admiration. the echo of which reachecl Paris.
It was spoken of in good society \Yhich congratulated itself
on possessing such a soul in the capital. ~Iiss de SainteBem"e: who was all afire with zeal for the prosperity of
the -Crsulines whose house at Paris she had founded , became greatly alarmed. She imagined that if ~Iother de
~Iatel
succeeded in instituting the Order which she -was
.
endea,oring to establish. she "-onld monopolize the fa-vor
of the people and the work of her own beloved "Crsulines
would suffer.
~Iiss de Sainte-Beuve had a right to gratitude from the
Jesuits as she had founded their nontiate of the faubourg
Saint-Germain. She summons those Fathers who had many
dealings with her and addresses to them the most lively
corn plaints: Father J acquinot has brought from Lyons an
individual whose ambition it is, under his protection, to
found an Ortler of .J esuitesses. If it is ever founded, it
will attract everything to itself, to the detriment of the
other monasteries.
At that moment~ the matter was particularly serious.
Home was considering, with the purpose of suppressing it,
an Order which had been founcled narly a century before
by two English ladies and which was to be abolished by
Pope rrban YIII bYO years later. SeYel'al influential .Jesuits
wrote one after the other to the General of the Society,
to inform him of the pretenclecl designs of Fa ther .J acquinot
and of their own dangers. ~liss de Saiu re-He1ffe is determined to oppose this innoYation with all he1 11ower. She
will make use of the influence of her nephew, the P1ocura
~

1 Au t ographie

L if e, ch. LII.

112

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'.I'El.i

tor General. The Arch bishop and the Keeper of the Seals
will be begged to i:efuse their assent to tliis innovation. If
in spite of all this, it is finally erected, it will p_rovoke
animadversions. Already the Jesuits are unpopular. There
are complaints against the great number of recent foundations. Will not there be loucler protests against this one,
than against all the rest?
At a distance from the facts, this was more than enough
to arouse the Father General's fears. These were so great
that without taking time to learn from Father Jacquinot
the character of this foundation and this Foundress, he
immediately sent the formal prohibitions which Father de
Lingendes had just transmitted to l\1other de l\1atel.
l\fother de Matel, after receiving this information, beggecl
that Father to tell her, as far as he was not prevented
from so doing, what he believed best for her to do. He
replied: "Do not quit Paris, no matter who advi&es you to
leave. Even if throngh consiclerations of prudence, I myself should give you this connsel in the presence of another,
do nothing of the kind. YV_e have received the order to invite you to leave. but yon have not taken a vow to obey us."
"It is true that I am not obliged to obey," she said,
''but no one is ignorant of the fact that up to this I have
been guidecl entirely by the counsels of Father J acquinot.
If I resist him, will there not be disedification? It will
be better for me to support my refusal by the authority
of my own father. He is now favorable to me and will
certainly oppose my leaving Paris for the satisfaction itmight give to Miss de Sainte-Beuve."
Father de Lingendes finds this idea excellent. l\lr. de
Matel will make it a point of honor to retain his daughter
at Paris. In that way she wi11 escape all blmne and loss
of confidence. He remarks: "How providential it is that
l\fodarne de Rocheguyon has takrn a leai~e of yonr honse
f'or three years ! Rhape yonr <omse so that yonr devote<l
hencfactress will not be alnrme<l nt the mcasmes taken wiih
1egmcl to yon. I will warmly rcp1escnt to Father J acquinot
what harm they rnight canse to your work and to your repntation. There will Hot ho lnckin~ mnny who will say that

FIRST SO.TOUUN AT PARIS

113

the ~Tesuits have finishecl by recognizing that you were under

an illusion and that they have withdrawn 'Yithout noise
from directing you.m
.After their interview in which such afflicting revela
tions were made to her, l\Iother de l\fatel resumed the exercises of her retreat. It seemed as if a great burden was
,,,.eighiug her down. Only two big tears feU from her burning eyelids. In her prayers she says: " Dear Love, is it
J who have presumed to institute an Orcler from a motive
of ambition, or is it Yon \Vho by Your incomparable goodness~ have iuspired and deRtined me for this work? If it
is I, Oh! dear Lord, have no fear (if I dare to speak to
Yon th us) to confound me uow in time, for this fault
would now be more from ignorance than malice. At present, T feel the grace and courage to suffer universal shame
l?efore eyery class of persons. It is from, Your goodness
that I hm'"e these sentfrnents and uot from my .merits.'' 2
At this moment there came back to her memory the
\VOrds of Gamaliel to the ~1 ews who wished to hinder the
.A_postles from preaching the name of Jesus Christ : Disccdite
ab llomfoibus istis) et sinifc 'llos: quoniam si c.~t CJ'
lwminibus coHsilium hoc) aut opus) clissol vetur: 8i rerc c.r
Deo est,. non potcritis dissolv ere illucl) n e fort e et Deo
repugnare inveniamini. "Refrain from these men and let
them alone; for if this counsel or this work be of men,
it will corne to naught. But if it be of Gocl you canuot
overthrow it, lest you be founcl to fight eYen against God. " 3
And Our Lord said to her: " l\Iy claughter, this en terprise
is neither from thee nor from men . It is from :Jlyself 'Yho
permits thee to be abandoned by all so that I may found
:Jly Ortler, I 'Yho do wonders by ~l y self. \Vhen I unitetl
l\Iyself to thy nature, I took it tlevoid of human person ality and I supported it ou l\ly cliYine Person , and l\ly
holy l\fother was obliged to confess before receiYing Me,
that she knew uot man." 4 He th en shows lier in a brigh t
light how becoming it is for an Ortler through which He
1Autographic Li fe, ch. LIT .
'.:! Ibid em .
3...--\ c ts V . 38. 39 .
-tAu t o gr a phi c Li fe. c h . L II .

114

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

wished to be introduced into the world anew, to have only

Himself as its prop, so that enraptured and consoled she
enn say with the Royal Prophet the words: Dorn in us illwninatio n1ea et salus 11iea) queni timcbo? Dominus protecto1' vitae mcae) qum trcpidabo? "'rl1e Lord is my light
and my salvation, whom shall I fear? 'rl1e Lord is the
protector of my life, at whom shall I tremble ?m
Comforted and fortified by the consolation of ber l\Iaster,
Jlother de Matel felt the courage to go and learn from
Pather J acquinot himself the decision made with regard
to her.
That Father, after recehrjng the orders from Rome, had
nssembled a council to examine what was to be done. A~
the Superior General had been wrongly informed. would
it not be proper to submit to him some observations? -nTifout his being aware of it, the Fa~hers whom he consulted,
were all secretmies of ~li~s de ~ainte-HeuYe. 'rheir sentiments wonld not be doubtful. 'r~ey were of the opinion
that the Fathers of Paris should conform strictly and immediately to the orclers received.
Father J acquinot lwd to follow the ad vice of his com1selors and thenceforwanl showcd himself the most determi n ed o a ll to see th a t the Geueral's orders were rigidly
execnted. \Vhen Mother de l\f a tel pre:sented herself, he
pointedly manifeste<l to her his resolve to obey the orders
of Home and to conform to the decision of his council. She
said to him: "My Father, yon thns abandon me, me who
carne to Paris only to obey yonr call and who would be
ready to cross a thousand seas at yonr word ! Can yon
not "Tite to the Father Assistant?" "l\Iy daughter, T
must obey !-Yon yourself write to Rome. Complain of
me. 'relJ how yon have been treated. But do not corne
lnH'k to sec me ml1il yon have received the reply.m
Before leavi11g, perllaps never to see him agaiu, him
whom she had looked upon as the interpreter of the wishes
of God with reganl to herself, l\fofer de l\fatel asks him
01H:<.~ 11101e if he helicves that the ellte1prise she i~ promot1Ps . X XVI. 42.
2.Aut og raphi c Life , c h . LH.

FIRST SO.JOURN AT PARIS

115

He replies to he1: '"Yes, my claugh ter.

I am grieved that mincls are so narrow in their zeal, that they wish to place limits to the extensions which God wishes to make for His glory ! Poor
innocent child ! Must these narrow minds cause you to
imffer so nrnch and oblige me to tell you not to corne back
to see me ?m \Vhile uttering these words, he who had
before shown such a firm countenance, feels his heart
wrenched and tears moisten his eyelids. As a last mark
of inte1est, he directs this chosen soul whom he can no
longer guide, to a Carmelite religions to whom he is bound
by the ties of an affection a te friendship; they separate
ful 1 of sadness.
Three months passed by for )lother de niatel in the
isolation to which fears that were lrnman had reduced her.
But in tbat hour of abandonment by creatures, God was
nbt far from her. She says: ''He did not quit me day or
night." He inundated her with so many lights and inebriated her with so many joys, that she was fainting under
the weight of her happiness. At times she said to her \Vellbeloved in the sacred delirium which transported ber: "If
You make me die by inundating me with the torrent of
Your graces, my death will b.e pl'ecious in Your sight, but
'vil1 not give glory to Your name before men, who will say
that I died from sadness at seeing m.rself abandoned by
them, whereas the plenitude of the redoubled delights 'Yhich
You deign to accord to her who is uu worthy of thern, would
be their sole cause. Let not Y our mn1 glory suffer." 2
At other times, her soul, clad in brilliancy and filled
with joy, seemed to leave her body and not to eare for
its needs. Fatigued with bodily pains, she said to her
divine Love : ' Lord, give me somc re~ief, let me sleep.'
He replied to her: Proptcr Sion. uon taccbo_, et proptrr
J erusalem) non q nicscani) etc. ''For the sake of Sion I
shall not be si lent, for the sake of J erusalem I shall not
take repose,' 3 and in the apvlication to he1 of the whole
ing is from God.

it is not from you.

1Autographic Life, ch. LIII.

2Ibidcm, ch. LII.

3Isaias, LII, 1.

116

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAilD DE

~IA'rEL

of that magnificent chapter of Isaias, He overwhelmed her

with new torrents of joy.
Inundated witb felicities which ll'e eternal, Mother de
l\fatel forgot the intrigues of time, but others were at work
unraveling them. Above all others, Father de Lingendes
was laboriug with all his elo<Juence and devotedness. He
wrote to Home a full explanation of the supernatural character of the mission of the Foundress. He sa id: "She
has no dream of founding an Order of J esuitesses. She
has ever been too docile to our counsels. And we are
not so ignorant of our duty that \Ve would not have turned
her away from such a plan, if she had ever thought of
it. Her design is not to do harm to other religions women.
She wishes only to nnite her work to theirs, to lead more
easily and in greater number persons of her sex to the
safe harbor of religion. She is a new pilot who joins
with rnany others to facilitate the voyage." He then showed
the sanetity of her vlan and the proofs which she had
given of ber own eminent virtues and he concluded: "Very
Heverend Father, see then the person whom you order us
to abandon. 'Vill not the public, wbich is a witness of
our presen t and om past course, have a right to insult this
work of God, and have we aiiy reason to authorize such a
scanclal ?m
The General of the Society of J esus, after being informed
of the true plans of Mother de Ma tel, sent to Father J acquinot letters as favorable as possible to the work and
person that he had before forbidden his subjects to have
anything to do with, and he gave the Jesuits of Paris full
liberty to help them with their counsels and direction. Immediately after the arrival of these missives, Father de
Llngendes hastened to inform ber whose cause he had defend ed so faithfully and whose interests he wished to serve,
rec og11i:;,i1~g these ~aine interests as means for promoting
God's glory.
1 L ife
o f tll e ve.n e rahl e Motll e r Jeanne Mary Chezard de Ma tel,
Foun1l r 1ss of t he Co n grngation of the H.e ligious of the Incarnate \Vord
a rnl t he B l0sse(l Sacra m cnt, by a Pri est of th e Society of Jesus. (Book
JTJ.)

FIRST SO.JOURN AT PA RIS

117

The storm, which the spirit of error had raised to hinder

the establishment of an Order against which it was again
to rage with violence, was now appeased. Severa! persons
of piety and distinction, desired to aid in establishing the
Ortler. Madame de la Hocheguyon 1 and Madame de la Lande
in particular asked the privilege of furnishing the temporal
means of founding the l\Ionastery of Paris. I t was, therefore, now the tirne to take the steps necessary for obtaining from the Holy See the Bull of erection. Father de
Lingendes, who knew in what esteem l\Iother de l\Iatel was
held by Father Morin of the Oratory, since she had been
interrogated b_y him at Lyous, at t he request of Monsignor
de Miron, resolved to take advantage of the influence of
that illustrions religions. He begged him to send to Father
Bertin, Superior of the Oratory at Rome, the petition and
rlocuments which were necessary for the promotion of the
cuse. Father Bertin was one who was capable . of conducting the business to a happy issue. He had already
received from Father Condren a similar commission in
behalf of the Daughters of the Blessed Sacrament. There
was then forwarcled to him, the request in which the ends
proposed by the Institute were laid before the Sovereign
Pontiff. The pious Foundress writes: " The request represented to His Holiness that we desire to honor Your
sacred Person in all of Your mysteries; and that as You
reside really in the Divine Sacrament of the Eucharist out
of love for us, we wished, as far as it was in our power,
aided by Your grace, to compensate by our adoration and
services for the contempt which the J ews showed You while
You were visible and which heretics and bad Christians
show Y ou every day .m
'ro this principal document were added attestations
from Fathers J acquinot and Arnoux, J esuits; from l\I. de
1\fontrenil, Doctor of the S01bonne and Pastor of St. Sulpice; from Dom Pierre of St. Bernard, Feuillant, and from
Father Morin who describecl the severe examination which
1See amon g th e pices justificatives , th e p e tition which th e D u c h ess
fle la n.och eguyon address e cl t o Pope Urban V III, in f avo r of M o tll er de
Matel, Note A.
2Antographi c Li fe, c h . LIV.

118

Lrn~E

OU' JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\I ATEL

he had made tlte Found1ess nndergo at the demand of

l\Iomdgnor de Milon, and the esteem whieh that prelate
had coceived for her.
C:udinals Cajetan and Bentivoglio who were charged
with the examination of these documents, made a favorable report of them to the Congregation of Regulars, which
\Yas unanimons in declal'ing that in all tbis there were
reasons more than sufficient for obtaining a Bull from His
Holiness. One thing remained to be decided, the name of
the new Order, Monsignor de Langres having asked
Rome not to give it the title of the Blessed Sacrament,
already accorded to the nuns of Port Hoyal.
At the reqnest of Cmdinal Bentivoglio, Father Bertin
wrote immediately to learn what name was desired. 'Vith
her nsual candor, Mother de Matel has recourse to Him
to \Vhom she has confided her work: "'Dear Lord, what
is the name whieh You wish to give Your Institute, a name
which comprises all that You have promised Me ?'' 1 He
raises up to Himself the spirit of His dear sponse and
makes her hear the words: "I am infallible truth. I will
keep all l\1y 1nomises to thee. 'l'he name which I wish
ihec to ask is the Tncarnate \\'onl. 'rhis Name erninently
and exce11ently comprises all that is in 1\le. I have been
and am from eternity the nncreated 'V 01d, and I shall be
eternally the Incarnate \Yord. In this Name thon wilt
have all. 'Yho has all, has the parts. My danghter, I
assme thec that th is N ame wil 1 be gi Ye11 to thee for My
Onler, without contradiction. My dearly lJelovcd daughter,
it is T 'Yho choose this angnst and glorilrn Name. Os enim
Domini locutlt1n est. ' I~""or the rnonth of the Lord hath
Rpoke11. ' 2 BJccc, 11012 est abbrcviata 'IJ/Wllls Do111i11i. "Hehold,
the hand of the Lord lwth not heen shm~ne<l.' 'l'his Name
shall procme 1hce all the a(l\'nnt-age:s T have p1omised thee.'~
Infinite love ha(l ihu~ <lonate<l a pl'ieeless gift to His
humble haudrnaid. lu fc rnphne in whieh she is trans
pol'ted He <liReover8 to hcl' tlic 8ig11itica11ce of the great
3

1A ut ographic Lifc, c h . LlV .

LVJIT, 1'1 .
3l s ai as, L l X, 1.

2 1 :,;a i ~s

li'JW;rr SOJOURN AT PATIIS

119

'vord which she has heard. ~rhis name is a symbol. The

1ncarnate \Yord gives Hii11self to this Order.
T 0 make her penetrate more deeply this mystery of
ineffable charity, the Blessed Virgin appears to her and
by a rare and iwecions favor, presents to her, as she had
formerly clone to St. Bernard, her sacred breasts, to nourish her with the virginal milk wiih whieh she had
nourished her adorable Son. Then the \Vord of God said
to her: ''See the visible sign of the invisible thing. 'fhis
is a sacrament and seeret of love with which l\fy Mother
has wished to gratify thee. This divine Prophetess gives
l\fe to thee as she gmre l\f e to lVIy Father.m
'Vhen the name cho:sen by God was transmitted to the
Cardinals, they admired its conformity with the end of
the Institnte. 'J'he Roly Father was eqnally struck by it,
and, in a pproving this pl an on whieh i he imprint of the
Roly Spirit vrns visible, he prononueed the words Ffot ut
petit11r, which canonically gave birth to a new Order in
the Clrnrch. 'l1he confidante of the Incarnate \Yord was
supernaturally informed of this snpreme approbation.
On .Novernber 23, 1G2D, feast of St. Clement, Pope and
Martyr, as l\lother de Ma tel was praying for the Sovereign
Pontiff, Our Lord reveals to her that Urban VIII will be
favorable to the establishment of her Order and will thns
give her a very great consolation. The grateful heart of
the pious Foundress ovel'fJows with thanksgivings and supplications. She feels that she ean obtain all, as the executor of the designs of the love of her God. She dra ws as
nsnal from the Holy Scriptures the inspiratio1~ of her
prayer, and asks the Incarnate \Yord to recompense the
Pope for the ereetion of the Order, by prolonging his life
for the same nnm ber of years as he ha cl increasecl the life
of E~eehias, so that he mn.v greatly augment his heavenly
merits. She 1<1arns with cr1tninty that her prayer bas not
heen rejected.
Hnman pi-ogno~tic~ we1e coutnny to this. The health
of the Poutiff wm; sliattered. l\Iany belicved hc had arrived
at ihe cn of his carecr. 1\fakers of horoscopes announced
1

1Autographic Life, ch. LIV.

120

LIFID OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

that he wonld die as soon as he had created some new Carclinals. In spite of all this, l\fother de l\latel constantly
hOJJed that Urban VIII would complete the nnmber of
years which Our Lord hacl granted to her petition.
Indeed this "~as one of the circumstances in which her
spfrit of prophecy was most manifest. On several occasions,
great personages came to her to recommend to her prayers~
the health of the Pope who seemed about to snrcumb, and
always, without any fear of being belied by the event, she
assured them that he wonld not die, for he had not yet
lived the number of years which the Incarnate \\Tord had
conceded to him as a recompcnse for the erection of His
Order. In fact, Urban \.!III died in 1644, fifteen years
after the intercession which had been macle in his favor
by the worthy Foundress, on November 23, 1629.
Our Lord had hearcl the supplications of His "royal
spouse," as He often callecl lier, in the same way as He
hnd heard those of the royal sick man of J erusalem, but
without asking it and without her lrnowing it at the time,
the sign which Bzechiaf5 had asked, was gfren to her: "that
the shaclow of the sun would go back ten lines."
This Bull conceded by Urban VIII in 1629, was carried
into effect only ten years afterwards, namely in 1639. Our
Lord wished to crown her patience.
The benevolent act of. the Pope permitted the immediate
expecliting of the Bull of the institution of tlie. Order of
the Incarnate \\Tord. Father Bertin clid not hasten to have
this clone. Before sending it, he was determined to leave
to the religions of the Blessed Sacrament of Port Royal
time to have their own Bull executed by the Archbishop
of Paris. He foresaw tlrnt as they were to have three
Bishops as their superiors, their establishment wonld meet
with eonsiderab]e obstacles. r:rhe l\Iarchioness de la Lande
nrged Father Bertin to send the Bull. She multiplied her
solicitations to Father l\lorin to press his confrere to send
it imrnediately. Nothing conld make him modify his plan.
rt was neccs~mry to wait.
God knows how to use, foi the aecomplishmeut of Hi8
<lesign~, what we cnll ohstncles as well ns what we call

121
means. He made use of this delay, so 1minful to Mother
de Matel, to make her enter into the very heart of her
mission.
From her early childhood, 3lother de 3latel iarel.r
opened her prayer-book, without her eyes lighting on these
\Yords of the Psalmist: Eructa vit cor m eu m vcrb uni bon u m:
dico ego opera mea regi. Lingua mea calamus scribac
iclociter scribcntis. 1 "My heart ha th uttered a good word:
I speak my works to the king. My tongue is the pen of a
scriYener that writeth swiftly." She would then wonder
that she ahYays savr these words of which she did not comprehend the meaning. .At the period of her life which
we ha Ye now reached, \Yhen Our Lord commands her take
up her pen, He recalls to her tha t striking circumstance
which He now makes her understand. \\ hat formerly
appeared to her mere chance~ was a divine call, a providential indication of the task which she was to accomplish.
He says to her: "The prophet Isaias received from the
HoI:r Spirit an order to take up a great book and to write
in it the style of a man who was to be God abridged. This
eYening, I give thee the same command to take a book to
mark in it the style of that God \Yho has wished to be a
man. That )lan God is the Incarnate \Yord, the marvels
of \Yhose goodness thon art to tell, and afterwards thou
shalt confess that thon are- deficient in the narrating of
these marvels and of all the fa-vors He has clone thee and
of all He will do thee if thou art faithful. " 2
The blessed secretary bowed down before the will of
her adorable Lord. She says to Him : ")lost dar Love,
my heart, my tongue, and my pen are Yonrs. Gi\e them
the motions which please Yon most. You bear witness of
Yourself in me and by me. Grant, if it so please You according to Your promise, that I may ever write according
to Your spirit of trnth, and that when I speak of Yonr
marvels, I may not bewilder those who read them with
right intentions, such as. those intentions with whi ch I
1

1Ps. XLIV, 1, 2.
:!Autograp hie Life. ch. LTV.

122

LlF'fiJ OF .JEANNE CHEZAnD DE l\IATEL

\\Tite, nnmcly, to follow Your de~i1es a1Hl to 1noe11re

10111 g1ol'y and the sn1Yntim1 of ~onls." 1
As she afterwards relates : "Yom 1\Iajesty commmHlell
ihat while waiting for the Hull, I shonld w1ite about Yom
four espousals: with onr hnmanity, with the Blessed Virgin,
with the Chmch and with myself, Your most unworthy
handmaid; Yon told me to explain in these esponsals the
Canticle of love, assnring me that Your Spirit would instruct me with an abundance of Ught, that I should confide in Him, that in me He would verify the words in
the Gospel of St ..John : ' He that believeth in Me,' as the
~criptnr~ saith , 'ont of his h enrt shall flow rivers of living
wate1. ' 2 Yon said to me: 41 prononnced these words
concernh1g those who have received l\Iy Spirit \Vho teaches
nll fruth to whom He plea:-:es.' Spiritus 11bi vult spirat et
roccm rjus a1tdis. "1"'he 8pil'it breatheth where He will: and
th ou hea1est Il is voie. " 3 To thee, ~ly daughter, is giYen
the grace to hem l\Iy voice, to feel l\ly brea th and to see
the splendor of the Father of l ights, \Vho out of His good
pleasure, has gi ven thee the best and perfect gift. In thy
soul He begets and causes to be born bright lights which
you must not bide nncler a bushel but by which you must
illumine all those who are in l\Iy bouse in order to glorify
thy heavenly Father, as thon must seek His glory and not
thine own.
" Do not let th.n;el r be trou b!e by the talk of men when
thon art doing th e will of God. Fear nothing. 'I'he Three
Divine P e rso1rn will not abandon thee. Say boldly all that
'Ye eommand thee to ~a.r about lTs. Onr testirnony is trne.

'Tres s1111t qui lrsti111oniun1 daJ1t in coclo: Pater, Vcrbum

et 81;ir itus Sunctlfs: et lti trcs 1wwn snnt. Jt trcs snut
q11i tcsti.Jn nni11m daut in tc1Ta: Bpiritlls et aqua et sany11is:
et 711'. t r f' S n i11un sunt. Si tcsl:i nwninm hominnm acccpirnus.
t cstim o11i1un f)d JJ1<1/11s est. '"'rh0rc me three 'YI10 give
test im011 y iu llenve11: th e l~athcr, the 'Vord, and the Holy
G hmd : m1d t hese threc :ue .<me. Aud there are three 'Vho
JJ\ u togra phi c Li fe. c 11. L\r.
2.T o hn YIT, :m.
:: .T n li 11 l f 1, 8.

FIUST

so.rncnx

~-\.T

P.:\RIS

girn testirnony on earth : the Spirit, the water~ and the

blood: and these three are one. If we recefre the testimony of men, the testirnony of God is grea ter. ~ He \\~ho
cornes to thee b~ the Spirit, by the water and by the bloocl.
is thy faithful Spouse. It is I \Yho haye borne and \\ill
bear testirnon\
If the testimonY
.., of :JI .,\Self in thee.
. of men
has been reefred, the testimony of God is greater.'' 2
These orders were formal. Humanly speaking~ the~
\\-ere rnost surprising and for one who was a stranger to
theological studies, were impossible to execute. There was
question of nothing else, but treating of the most unfatbomable mysteries. But words of God bring with them the
pmYer which realizes them. Thus ~Iother de ~Iatel. illurnined by the brilliant lights " -hich she will recefre from
Hea-ven and by these lights alone~ 'Yill compose nurnerous
treatises which will cause amazernent to the learned. The
arduous questions w hich science approaches with the greatest caution, will be. by her elucidatecl with neatness. copiousness. and precision. \Yhen we reacl her worcls. it seems
as if, in her soul, the bol: obscurities of faith had gfren
place to the dawn of eternal lustre. It is impossible not
to recognizc a \Ocation and assistan ce which are di\ine.
Our Lord said to ber: ~' In what a maze of labyrinths
thou woulclst lose thyself. by writing so often about di\ine
mysteries which cannot be known b~- one "-ho bas not
studied,. withont the unction of that Spfrit \\~110 illumines
thee with such brilliancy that tliou speakest of these mysteries as of things \Yhich seern visible and familiar to thee.
and \Yith such copiousness that it clearly appears that thon
hast in thee Him -nho is the source of liYing water and
that Hi~ blond \Yifies thee and thy words. " 3
\Yhen ~[other de ~latel was being urged on by the
lneath of diYine inspiration and hcr pen was flyiug along
l>et"cen lier fing:er~, momentaiily she was oliYions of her
ti-ials. But as soon as she ccascd writing:. the iedinm of
1

1
~

Fir::-t Ep. of John, Y, 7, S. 9.

\ utographic Life , ch. LY I.

3lbiem.

124

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

her long waiting was felt most keenly. Then Our Lord
gave her delicious consol~ltions.
" lVhen this long delay annoyed me," she says, "Your
goodness sent me Saint l\fichael ai!d Saint Denis to console me. Afterwards Saint Jerome appeared. 'Vhen these
saints hacl disappeared, Y our l\fajesty made me unclerstand
that You had sent them to cheer, strengthen, and instruct
me, and that having given them to me as my three masters,
you wished me to see them. Saint l\fichael, by sublime effusions, was to teach me Your divine mysteries. Saint
Denis was ordered by Yon to teach me mystic theology,
and Saint ~Jerome, H oly Scl'iptme. You said to me: "l\fy
<laughter, by these favors, thou canst know l\fy goodness
towards thee.m
The imprint of the grace special to each one of the.se
masters, remained visible on the works of l\fother de 1\f atel.
Saint l\fichael was to illumine her on the divine mysteries by the radiation of the light in which he contemplates them. From the mauner in which she treats of them
we comprehend that the rays from a seraph, aid her to
penetrate these dazzling abysses. As it is easy to believe,
Raint Denis made,_ to his pious disciple, a generous com munication of that mysterious science which he was charged
to teach her. And when we consider her knowledge of
the Roly Scriptures, does it not seem that Saint Jerome
made her a present of the fruit of his labors in the grotto
of Bethlehem?
As soon as the pions l\fother entered into prayer, two
streams of tears gushed from her eyes. At this she was
astonished . She said to Onr Lord: "lVhy this weeping,
sin ce Yon make my confidence in You unshaken. If Yon
spoke to my soul , I would not be astonish.e d that it melted
with sweetn ess, but now that it is only dryness and aridity,
wh e11 ce corn e these tears ?" 2
'r o these r eiterat ed qn es tiouing~ , J esns made a iesponse
full of divine te11dernc8R. He appcared to His dear lover
1 e~pl end en t with glory, gi1dec1 with n hnldric of dazzling
1Autograph ic L i fe , ch. L VI.
:! Jbid cm, ch. LVJl .

FIRST SOJOURN AT PARIS

125

beauty on which glittered like diamoncls numberless and

marvelous tears. ")ly daughter, these tears are those thon
hast shed without knowing thei:i: beginning or their end.
Kno-w that in Heaven they are valuecl more highly than
people on earth value the precious stones and pearls of
the orient. Thus, before :ily celestial courtiers, I g1ory in
wearing this baldric wbich My love has fabricatecl from
thy tears which it renders clivine1y adorable by placing
them on the shoulders of a )fan God.m
On the vigil of Saint Lawrence, August 9, 1630, the
good Mother, broken down in body and soul, had to go to
bed, after returuing from Mass. Seeing her afflicted_, the
Di,ine Sador hastens to cure and console her. He says
to her: "Have confidence in )le, I will establish l\ly Order
by ways of which men are not a "Tare. There shall be -seen
in this Establishment the union of the 'ri ara and . of the
rown of France.m And while explaining to her the hunched and fifteenth Psalm: Crcdidi vropter quod locutus
su nz. "I have belieYed, theiefore I haYe spoken ," among
other things He says to her: ")Iy daughter, speak of )ly
marvels, because thou canst not doubt the trnths which
T teach thee.-Thou canst say to those who are ignorant
of the excess of the lo-rn I ha\e for thee: e\ery man is a
liar when he thinks he can afflict the soul "Thom I console, etc.m 'rhen, with the in timacy of a friend. He confides to her the prodigy He pnrposes to work in fayor of
Louis XIII, by the po"Ter of the diYine Eucharist. and the
testimonial the King will give Him of his gratitude by
establishing the Religions of the Blessed Sacrament.
At _tbat time, this could not have been foreseen. Sorne
days after, the Countess of Saint Pol met )lother de :ira tel
and sa id to her : " The King is umdlling to permit the
establishment of any new mon aste1y in the capital.~'
":ifadame," she replies, "-what would you say, if the King
Himself requested the establishment of the first n e" T mon L--\ utographic Life, ch. LYII.
~Jbic1em,

3Jbide m.

ch. L YI.

12G

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'l'EL

astery which will be founded here "?"-"This appears impossible/' answers the Countess. 1
Louis XIII, having fallen sick during the 'var of the
succession of M:antua, had been brought back to Lyons,
and W'aS in extreme danger. The alarming news was spread
everywhere, and the people crowded before the tabernacles,
imploring the cure of the royal patient from the eucharistie
mercy of J esus. Immediately after the arriva! of the
couriers at Paris, Father de Lingendes begged l\fother de
:\Iatel to obtain from eTesns in the Blessed Sacrament the
King's recovery.
In a tribune which l\fiss de Longueville had had constructed in her parish clrnrch to hear l\fass there, the pions
Foundress persevered several days and several nigbts in a
prayer which she felt was welcomed by her Divine Love.
Finally, He made her nnderstand that the hour is corne
in which He wishes to grant the grace so earnestly solicited,
and that the King ".,.ill recove1. Full of gratitude, she
imparts to Father de Lingendes these consoling assurances.
\Vithout losing any time, this faithful and zealous protector makes known to Father Ruffren, confessor of Mary
de Medici then at Lyous, by what ardent supplications
l\fother de Matel had obtaiued from the King of Heaven,
the promise that He would cure the \vell-beloved King of
France. He told Father Suffren to beg His l\fajesty to
deign, in return, to favor the establishment of the Order
of the Incarnate YVord.
~rhis reqnest was not to reach the ear of Louis XIII,
but was for l\Iother de ~ratel the occasion of new trials.
The pl'ncei-:s, who was the Fom1dress of the monastery
of the Bles8ed Sacrameut of Port Royal, the erection of
whieh Father Bertin was a waitiug bef01e he would send
the Bn1l foi the Order of the Incarnate 'Vord, was then
visjting th eir l\lajes iie~. She solicited f1om ihe gratitude
of' the King thnt he would second the irn.;tit11tio11 of the
111rn R of th e Rlesscd Sacrament. 1 thanlrngiviug foi his
l'.111e. .A ll(l t11 c piom~ monarch, acecding to this rcqnest,
h<tcl 1nomiNecl to m;e liis a11th01ity over 1hc Archbishop of
1,\ u t ogra plli c l.ife , c h. TJlV ,

FmST

SO.Jorn~

.\T P.\.TITS

., ...
1 ....

'

Paris. to lnffc him execnte the Bull, and hc him~Plf had

gfren Iette1s pntent whid1 the keeper of the s~:ils h;1<1 si:ne<l
and sealed.
I 11 snch l'.Ollj n ndmes, Fa ther Suffren thongh t lie ough t
not to speak of the foundation of the Incnrnate 'Yord,
but kno,Ying tlrnt the new Onler JH'Oposed to h01rnr " ith
special deYotion the Sac1 ed Person of the \Yonl made ftesh
residing in the -~\Iost Roly Sacrmnent of the altar, H seemed
to him that it was more advantageous for the two Institutes 'Yhich were seeking recognition, that the~ shoulfl
be joined together as their Bulls resembled each other
in seYeral points, than that they shoulcl be Ieft ro grow
separately.
Snch was the counsel given b:y that Father who~ as
"Jiother de :Jlatel sa~ s, then "passed," for what he "as in
fact, namely, '"a priest of learning and of great -drtne and
sanctit~.m
'The idea pleased Father de Lingendes. He
asked himself if this was not a providential solution for
Yery many difficulties. The ardent :Marchioness de ]a Lande~
more exalted now than eYer, made strenuous efforts to induce the Fonndress of the monastery of the Blessed Sacrament to accept this plan of union. The latter gathered
information at Lyons where she then was, about what "as
thonght of "Jlother de ~ratel and of the Order "\Yh ich she
planned to found. Father Yoisin whom she consuHed. had
directed the latter Foundress at Hoanne and at Lyons. He
spoke of her with snch admiration and \"eneration, that the
Foundress of the Rlessed Sacrarnent also seemed inclined
to accept the union. The next step was to learn what were
the sentiments of the nnns of Port Royal on this matter.
Father )!orin wished to receiYe this informa:tion.
He
found them "in high I10pes" and understood that being
strong in the august protection which had been accorded
them, they wonld see in this fusion only a fa\"or concederl
to the eminent Yirtue of )Jother de Matel who should
bnry her Institute 1 theii-s as a drop in the ocean , mHl
1Autographic Life . ch . L\.

128

LIFI~

OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'l'EL

ac1)t thefr Com;ti t utions :UHl thei1 Bull " ithout iestrktion .
In these combinations thel'e wa~ nothing that resembled the designs manifested by Onr Lord to her, from
whom He wished, as Re had so often said, to receive,
by the foundation of His Order, a new and mystic birth.
Mother de l\fatel did not feel in any \Yay inclined to favor
the plan. However, in her profound and sincere humility,
seeing those who were interested in ber wol'l\: judging in
favor of this union, as she says: "She lowered ber spfrit
before the Diyine l\1ajesty, protesting that if the opposition
she felt came from any m~ti ve of self-love or any secret
desire for vain glory, she -renounced all her views and all
her sentiments to follow on ly His adora l>le will which she
conjured Him to make known to her.m
~rhis abnegation touched the hemt of God.
He replied
to this prayer by formulating His wish in a text from the
Book of the Acts: Segregate m ihi Sa nlnm et Barnabam
in opus acl quod asswn psi cos. '"Separate me Saul and
Barnabas 'for the work whereunto I have taken them.m
Bxplaining to l\1other de l\Iatel the sense in which she is
to take these words, He says to ber: "My daughter, I
do not wish these two Orders to be united. I wish that
thon be separated from those religions. Barnabas signifies
son of consolation. They are now clanghters of consolation, everything smiles on them. And thou, thon art
Paul, little and destined by ~Iy Providence for great contradictions. I will harden the heart of those who ought
to aid thee, to cause to be seen in this Order and in thee,
the power of l\Iy right band which will \vork a wonder
and will exalt thcc in the time preorclained." 3
'ro c11comage her to hear the trials which IIe foretells
to he1, Onr Lol'd nnveils to her the graces which a multitude of pl'edestiued souls will derive from her ials. He
tells her to rcpcat with the great Apostle, to whom He
has jnst cornpare<l hcr: Omnia, sustinco znoptcr elcctos) ut
iAutograp hi c Life, c l1 . LVI.
:!i\cts Xlll, 2.

:1.\ntogra11hic Life. ch. LVI.

FmST

SOJOUR~

AT PARIS

120

et ipsi salutcm conscquantur quae est in Christo .Jes u, cum

gloria crlcsti. ..I endure all things for the sake of the
elect, that they also may obtain the salYn 1ion '"hich is in
Christ .Jesns, with heaYenly gl ory." 1 2
H e applies to her and to the fanwed IJOBterity of which
she wi11 be the )lother, other te:xts from this same epistle
of St. Paul and He says to her:
'If thon sharest )ly sufferings, thon 'Yilt reign with
)le:'' The foundation which God lays is stable, and has,
as its seal, these worcls: .. The Lord knows those who are
His." I know,. them in blessings and I mark them with
the seal of - ~Iy cross. and I im--ite them to follmY )le by
bearing the cross w hi ch )ly w isdom prepares for them
to make them like un to )lyself. If men a ppear to make
no acconnt of t he lights which I haTe giYen thee, or of
t~e designs whi ch I haT"e manifested to thee. know, )ly
daughter. that: r erbum D ei non est alligatun1 et fid elis
scrm o. " The \Yord of God is not chained and )ly word
i s trnstworthy. " 3
After haying gfren her some idea of how much she was
to suffer for the glory of His X ame, Our Lord unYeilecl
to her the future of the nuns who are nmY Dauglzters of
consolation. He re\eals to her that the protection of the
might~.. ,,111 not shelter them from trial.
Again using
words of St. Paul to Timothy, He adds: Intellige qua e
dico: dabit enim tibi Dominus in omnibus intellectum.
" l~nderstand Ydiat I say: for the Lord will giT"e thee understanding in all tbings." At the moment when )lother
de )latel heard this oracle, she could not understand its
signi:fican ce. Time gaye her its full meaning. ~~las, she
lfred long enongh to see the commencement of the sacl
vicissitudes of the celebrated abbey which, later on, was
so deplorably de:filed b~-- the errors of ~J ansenism.
\Yhen Father Bertin had learned that the King and the
Parliament had granted the letters patent for the establishment of the Religions of the Blessed Sacrament and
1II Tim., 11. 10.
2Autographic Life. ch. LY I.
3 2 Tim. II, 9. 11.
4Ibide m , 11 , 7.

130

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARb DE MATEL

that 1\1. Ville-aux-Clercs in the name of His l\lajesty had

written to the Archbishop of Paris, to ask him to erect
the new monastery, he decided to send the Bull for the
Order of the Incarnate " Tord.
~rhe heart of l\Iother de l\fatel must have bounded with
happiness and hope, ou receiving this message which was
so ardently longed for and which permitted her to promote the founding of her Order. Soon, then, she is to
touch the goal of her holy ambitions! The hour of Providence had not yet struck. ~rhe worthy Foundress, before
giving to the Church the blessed fruit of the divine promises, must pass through a long and painful series of trials.
They shall not wear out either her heroic patience or her
invincible hopefulness, for Our I .. ord will sustain her.
'l"'he time and the manner of presenting the Bull to the
Archbishop of Paris, soon aroused divergences of opinions
among the noble benefactresses who wished to furnish the
financial means of founding the monastery. The eager zeal
of the l\farchioness de la Lande causes her to desire that
they solicit, without any delay, the archiepiscopal authorizatiou. Madame de Longueville ana l\fadame de la Rocheguyon are informed that the Frelate has the intention of
snbmitting the affair to the deliberations of his Council,
but that the Vicar General, l\f. Guial, maintained that he
could have the Bull carried into effect without the above
mentioned deliberations, provided its friends will wait for
the favorable moment. This plan was accepted by the
benefactresses, and was in harmony with the views of l\Iother
de Matel.
At that time the Council of the Archbishop of Paris
was colnposed of men of eminent learning and virtue who,
however, were ahsolutely devoted to special works.
Our ancient memoirs say: " Doctor Duval, on acconnt
of h is admiration for the reform made by l\fother 'reresa,
wonld have liked to make all Paris another Mount Carmel.
'fhe Pastor of Saiut Nicholas of the Fields, devonred by
zeal for the converRion of poor sinfnl women , was leaving
to the care of Providence the n inety-ni11e faithful sheep,
to h1i1lg to the HonseA of Bef'nge thosc that had sh'nyed

FITIS'l' SOJOURN A'l' PARIS

131

a way. .M. le Blane " '" as wol'ldng for the establishment

of the Religions of the Elessed Sacrament of Port Royal,
and he saw nothing better for himself to do than to join
to them those of the Incarnate Word.m
The outcome of deliberations of such a Council on the
proposed establishment, could be easily foreseen, considering, as 1Iother de l\fatel remarks, that according to the
,words of St. Paul men abonnd in their own opinions, and,
without any fault, they can liaYe more ardor for things
they like according to God, than for those for which they
haYe no liking, since the angels themselves, as Daniel relate~, wer e of different likingR and resistecl one another.
It was decided to follmY l\I. Guiars suggestion.
If there was anything that could console the patient
)fother jn this long waiting, it was the knowleclge of the
J."easons for it. These were unveiled to her by ber didne
Consoler. He showed her the rage of hell against the estabUsh ment of this Order. Above all the others, the demon
who tempted Arius, appearecl animatecl with a terrible
hatred for it. She saw the former under the guise of a
~Ioor. obstinate and determined to oppose to the last the
glory which was to be given to the Incarnate 'Yol'd by
the ne\v Institute. And she saw the second demon with
the mocking featm es of a person who rails at and blocks
what he cannot hinde1. Against the fury of her adversmjes, Our Lonl showed her the power of her clefenders.
He says to her: ""St. 1fielrneJ and all his angels are thy
nids. They have the sa me na tnre as those spirits of malice,
and. moreoYer. they lrn.Ye the powei given them by grace
and g;lory which they pMsess and which the others bave
lost." 2
~-\fier this He enra1)tnres lier spirit 'dth admiration
for the gTm1deurs and p1ivileges of the Blessed Yfrgin, as
ihey me atmom1ccd in tl1e thil'ty-fh!"'t ehapter ot' .Teremias
H 1Hl desc1ibPd in th e twelfth rha ptc~1 of the Apocalypse.
mal, 1lashiug on lwl' a 1ay of His ete11wl light, Ile reyeals
1o her that she al~o is that wom::rn who coutaim.; in her
L\u t ograp h i c Life, ch . LIX.
2.-\ u t ogr a phi c Lif e, c h . L V III ,

132

LI:F'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'l'EL

bosom, in a mystic manner, the l\fan Vho is the Orient

from on high,-that woman who appears as a prodigy in
the heavens, clothed with the sun which is Himself, crowned
wHh stars of divine science, trampling under her feet the
inconstancy of things created, and whom the dragon wished
to force to briI1g forth from fright, so that he might
devour the fruit of her womb. He says to her: "I have
destined thee to show to angels and men, a mystic reproduction of My greatest mysteries. I wish to make thee
l\ly Mother in a marvelous manner, and by a sacred extension of My Incarnation, to make thee bring forth, in
the Clrnrch, Ilim \"Vhom l\fy l\lother brought forth in nethleJ~em, and all this, in spite of the fury of demons and the
contradictions of men. \Vhat the august Trinity said to
lsaias when confiding to him his mission, for which a seraph
purified his lips with a burning coal, I say also to thee :m
"Those to whom thou shalt speak shall not comprehend
the wonders thou shalt tell them. While seeing l\fe through
thee, they shall not recognize Me. Thy lights shall blind
them, thy words shall harden and stop their ears. The:y'
shall slrnt their eyes to l\1y brilliant lights, and l\fy splendors shall appear dark to tbem, because they shall wish
to comprehend by natural reason what eau be known only
by the supernatural light which I give only to those who
humble their souls under l\fy mighty hand." 2
~rhe Incarnate \Vord \Vho destined l\fother de l\fatel
for so many contradictions and trials, at times also provided her with the sympathy and suppOIt of His best servants, by giving them a glimpse of His ineffable tendernesses towarcls her. At that epoch, He won over to her
wol'l\: and to herself, the devotedness of the sons of St.
1>ominic.
'rhe Dnchess de l ~ Rocheguyon, her benefactress, manifei..;ted a clesire that she wonld address herself for tJie direction or her eonscie11ce, to Fathe1 ~John Baptist Carr, a
Dominican ieligiom; of great merit. 'r11inki11g tbat the
iHtention Wl S that ~lie 8hould be e:xai11i11ed , she aeqnicsd.
1Au t og-ra phi c Life. c h, LVJH.
:.? f sa i ~1 s, \ 'l,

FinS'l' SOJOURN A'l' PAillS

133

.Mor than anyone else, she desired that light should penetrate the inmost folds of her soul. Our T.. ord, \Vho at all
times was so lavish of testimonials of His love for her,
was multiplying them at that moment. 'rhese favors were
so evidently supernatural and so excessive, that this Father
Dstonished and enraptured, confessed that he had never
understood the goodness of God as he did after his acquaintance with that privileged soul. 'Yhen he had learned
how the mission to found a new Order had been con:fided
to her, he recognized that she was manifestly divinely
inspired, approved ber plans and strongly encouraged her
to pursue them. For this he offered her all the services
which she believecl he could render.
Our Lord al ways showed tha t He was not insensible
to kindnesses towards His cherished spouse. The charity
of that excellent religions did not go unrecompensed.
One day l\Iother de :Matel was assisting at Mass. She
sa'v a number of lambs crowding around this worthy priest
on the steps of the altar. In all humility and meekness
they offered themselves through his hands to be led and
immolated to the Divine Majesty. Her good Master said
to her: " I will make him the father of a holy and fervent
family, in retmn for his devotedness to My work.m She
gave an account of all this to Father Carr.
The realization of these promises was soon accomplished.
Father Hodolph, the General of the Order of St. Dominic,
having corne to Paris, thought it well to found there a
Novitiate and to uame Father Carr as its superior. Although he had been fore,varned of this, he shrunk from
it. He deemed himself unfit to manage such an enterprise and to ful:fill such an office, and he sought to keep
away from it.
The Inrarnate W'" ord aga in wi shed that His handmaid
would comfol't him. He bade her announce t o him what
he would have to suffer in the mission which was confided
to him and the nids whi ch he would receive from on high .
The Roly Spirit will fill him ,yjth light and strength . H e
will sweeten his sorrows by the unction of His grace. In
1

Au t ogra p hie Life, ch. LIX.

134

Lll?E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

the holy school of perfection of which this Father will become the master, God will be worthily served by pure and
fervent souls.
It was gi ven to Fa ther Carr to see all these words
verifiecl. Their memory sustainecl him when he saw unfoldecl the ials ana consolations which they had foretold
to him. His veneration for the pions lover of the Incarnate
YVord and his desire to be of service to her, increased accordingly. Many years later, at the founclation of the
monastery at Paris, he will be among the most eager to
corne to its aid.
The General of the Order, who saw Mother de Matel
twice, showed lier a mal'ld veneration. Full of gratitude
for such benevolence, she prayed her adorable Incarnate
YVorcl to become its rewarder. He responded by a beautiful vision symbolizing the charity of this eminent Superior,
whose heart He showed to her like a pomegranate in which
each one of his sons had a place.
The hol:v Patriarch of the Apostolic Order shared the
pious predilection of his sons, towards the new Foundress.
On the feast of 8t. Dominic, after having admired the
glory which he possesses in Heaven where she saw him
as radiant ns a snn, her Divine Spouse said to her: "This
lnminons Patriarch clesires that I make thee a sun, a vessel
of clection, to carry My glory into the world, because, althongh thon art only a weak woman, I have chosen thee to
fonnd l\fy Order, and it is to make thee apt for My designs
that I give thee extraorclinary graces and lights to enlighten
and i n1iame heal'ts." 1
'l1hc moment whieh was propitious for prescntiug to the
ArchbiRhop of Pari~ the Bull anthorizing the founding of
the 01de1 of the I ma111ate Yr orcl, came nt last. 'rhe Prelate
8howe<l himRelf fav01:1hlc to the plan, hnt thonght it best
io <lefe1 it~ iealiz:di011. lie pni<l a visit to Mesdames de la
HodH;nyon :rnd Longrn_~ville, io assure thern of his good
intenViom; :111<1 to Pxplai11 to thelll his 1easons for dcferring
~hc a<<mnpli~hmeHt of th<>i1 <leRl'e~. Ile said: "'fhe King
has eauNe<l a l<~ttPr to be w1ittc11 to me, to execnte the Bull
1 ;\

utog ravlli c Lifc , ch . LIX.

F'IRST SOJOURN AT PARIS

135

of the Heligious of the lllessed Sacrament, but it gives

thern three bishops as their Supe1iors. If one bishop is
enough to gove1n one diocese, how mnch more ought one
bishop to be enough to govern <me monastery in his own
diocese. I have no donbt that when I have made lmowu
to my good Pl'nce how much that clause lowers the authority of the Arcb bishop of Paris, his sen se of justice will
appreciate my reasons for refusing to execnte the Bull of
the Blessed Sacrament, and for wisbing to execute that
of the Incarnate 'Vord. But, if I did this latter before getting his approval for it, he might be offended and believe that
I have not sufficient consideration for the authority of my
King. I ask of you a delay of only three or four months
whicb I must pass at Saint-Aubin. On my return, I count
on being ready to realize your pions intentions." 'l"'ll"en,
addressing himself to Mother de l\fatel, he says, ''l\fy daughter, what do you think of my reasons? Are they good ones?
Can you not accept the delay which I ask ?" ''Monsignor,
it would be nnbecoming in one who owes you obedience
without knowing your reasons, not to snrrender to those
which you have the goodness to make lmown to her. Nothing prevents our waiting your return from your journey.m
'fhis delay, therefore, was accepted. The impatient
l\farchioness de la Lande was the only one who could not
be reconciled to it. Perhaps she would have accepted an
open contradiction more easily than a delay which left
her activity nothing to feed npon. She made a decision
to give, without any more hesitation, to the abbey of which
her sister was the abbess and in which her daughter wished
to take the veil, the fnnds which she had destined for the
foundation of the monastery of the Incarnate YVord.
Mother de Matel had often asked herself how she could
sncceed in satisfying both ~Iadame de la Lande and Madame
de la Rochegnyon, if she had to grant to both of tbem, the
privileges of foundresses of her monastery. She rejoiced
at this determination and retnrned thanks to Our Lord
for having delivered her from apprehensions from this
1Autographic Life, ch. LIX.

13G

LIU'l~

OF JEANNE CI-IEZATID DE l\IA1'EL

source, without the affection between these two noble ladies

having been impaired.
Four years had elapsecl in a continuous succession of
obstacles and trials which we have seen haunting all the
steps of Mother de Mate] from her first arrival at Paris.
This time seemed very long to her little commlmity on
the holy hill of Lyons. The need of her presence was felt
more and more keenly. By every mail she received urgent
letters conjuring her to return. Their courage had been
worn out. Severa] subjects had withdrawn, despairing
of ever being religious if they remained in the Congregation.
Mesdames de Longueville and de la Rocheguyon were
absolutely opposed to the Foundress heeding those appeals
nt the moment when the object of so many exertions and
such painful waiting seemed on the point of being obtained.
Father Binet, the .J esnit, was consulted and was of the
same opm10n. He said: '~He who quits the game loses
it." In order to net with all prudence, he wrote to Lyons,
to Father Milieu, to lean1 if the presence of Mother de
Matel was as necessary for her daughters as they had said.
'rl1e reply affirmed this urgency. 'rhen it was unanimously
agreed that the Foundress would go to spend at Lyons the
time which the Anhbishop of P~ris was to stay at SaintAubin, and that during ber absence Father Binet would
cultivate the good will of the prelate and that she would
return at the first awakening of his desircs to execute
the Bu Il. l\1oreover, the Dnchess de la Hochegnyon declared
that shc would keep the Bull at Paris to secnrc the Mother's
return.
'rl1is decision had jnst been made, when l\f ndame de la
Deanregai<l anived from Lyons and called upon l\1other
de l\fotel. "l have promised yonr claughters," she says,
''to take you bn<"k to them, and 1 beg of yon, as a favor,
to accede to their <lc~i l'es:' '' It is Providence that sends
yon,'' replie~ the pion8 l\1othe1. ''My depmture bas just
been decide<l 11p011, and Providence inspires yon to take me
m1der yom pl'otedion for this jonrney, :u;; it formerly en-

FrnST SO.JO"GUX AT

P~\llIS

137

trusted me to ~Ir. de Pure whose good offices I shall never

forget. I shall hold myself in readiness to follow you wheneYer it will please you to leave.'' 1
W'"Jia t poignant grief this departure ca used the dear
~Iother to suffer !
She had endured such trials and surmounted such oppositions to bring the affair of the foundation at Paris to its present stage, and now that the Bull
has been received and the Archbishop asks only a delay
of three or four months, and many excellent subjects are
presenting tbemselves, she must abandon her position. And
in what financial difficulties she will now be involved !
\Yithout resources. how will she meet the needs of the Congregation whose indebtedness~ already considerable, would
be increased by the arrival of new mem bers; in f act she
is bringing with her the four Parisian aspirants who have
.l eft all to attach themselves to her !
She pours out her sadness into the heart of her adored
~laster.
He says to ber: "'Repeat with the Prophet:
Dominus regit me et nihil milii cfrcrit. The Lord ruleth
me arnl nothing will ue wnnting to me. ":2 He \Yill proYide.
'rrust Providence. I promise to furnish food and clothing for all the daughters 'Whom I shall give thee.'' 3
To tllese formal assurances, the tenderness of Our Lord
adds a consoling T"ision. \\~hile she is praying in the church
of the Fathe1s of the Oratory, He raises her soul up to
Himself and shows her a sky all coyered with manna, like
seeds of coriander, as white as snow, and this sky bmYs
down before her and seems to wish to follo\'r her. The
Spirit of Love, under the form of a doYe. appears in the
middle of this slQ. She has therefore nothing to fear.
ProYidence fecl a whole nation for forty years with bread
fi om Heayen, and 'dll know how tu proYide foi: the needs
of one religions family which js still in its cradle.
Final ee1titncle of His will with regard to this change
of iesidenee \Yhich arousecl snch apprehension, was giYen
by her good ~I aste1-. Father .J acqninot, after lia Ying made
1Autugraphic Li fe, ch. LX.
~Ps. XXII , 1.
3..-\.u tograp h ic Life, ch. LX

1~8

LIF'~

OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MA'.rEL

the visitation of the houses of which he was the Provincial,

came back to Paiis. She was able to ask his opinion which
she rightly pl'ized most highly. After weighing all the
reasons for and against, he also thought it best for the
Foundress to depart without delay, for fear lest discouragement woulcl disperse the members of the Congregation,
a nd for ber to corne back to Paris as soon as possible.
On the vigil of the feast of St. Andrew, November 29,
1632, she left the great city at which she had arrived for
the first time, four years before to a day, on November 29,
1628, and in which she hacl suffere<l so much.

CHAPTER X
Return to Lyons

1632-1634
Mother de Matel and her daughte1s anived at Lyons
on December 11. The hour was late. As the horses of
their carriage were not strong enough to pull them n p
the steep bill of Gourguillon, they stepped out at the foot
of the bill, at the home of the excellent )ladame Colomb.
This lady, as ever, full of veneration and devotedness towards ber saintly friend, urges her and ber littl colon.J'
to pass the rest of the night in he1 home. The next day,
3lother de 3latel, before crossing the threshold of her dear
solitude, wishes to in trust its intel'ests to St. Joseph, the
born Protector of the family of the \Yord made flesh, and
goes to the clrnrch which is situated in the quarter of
Bellecour. There she places also in the bands of the Blessed
Mother, the future of her little CongI"egation. She 'vishes
to govern it only in her name and as lier vicar. I t is from
her that, in all humility, she receives this office of which
she recognizes herself to be unworthy and incapable.
After having been strengthened anew by prayer, the
saintly :Mother hastens to go to her daughters who are
waiting for her with impatience. Before pressing them
to her heart, she wishes to do bornage to the adored Father
and nfaster of the whole family. She prostrates herself
at the foot of the altar on which IIe resides, _a nd pours
out an abundance of tears while ber daughters, enraptured
'vith joy, chant the 'Te Dcwn. Great "Tas their joy when
they we1e at last perrnitted to embrace their )lother and
the Sisters who had been given to them by the Incarnate
\Vord.
The consolation was reciprocal. 'l'hat of the Foundress
was particularly deep when the little boarders who were
being brought up in the bouse, came forward to clairn thei1
139

140

LJB'E 011' .JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\1A'l'EL

share of he1 blessings and cmesses. 'l'he venerable Mother.

ns she embraced them with the tenderness with which he1
heart was ever over-tlowing for her children, continned to
re1Jeat, Dear Lord, grant that on their lips Yonr praise
may ever be perfeet.m
Eveiythi11g that met he1 eye was a source of contentment to her heart. In her absence l\fother Flurin had governed with such wisdom that the whole house breathed a
spirit of order and presented an aspect truly religious.
The greatest favor the Incarnate 'Vord had done to
her dear family, was to corne and dwell under her roof. l\f.
Chabanier, who 'yas a most virtuous priest and entirely
devoted to the little community, at first said l\fass for them
every day in the chael of Our Lady of Loretto, which was
close to their d welling, but he did not leave the Blessed
Sacrament in their house. As the l\fernoirs of the foundation relate, in the year 1G29, on the l\fonday after the
feast of the Blessed '11 rinity, God made a special communication to that pions ecclesiastic, who was a man of
prayer and full of charity for his neighbor, and said to
him: ''I am pleased with you. Ask your Snperior for
that favor for the whole octave of the Blessed Sacrament,
and he will grant it with the same ease with which you
ask it. Sorne days after, you will beg him to continue it
and he 'vill say that he cannot, but he 'vill ask advice on
the matter. 'Vhen you return, he will be vexed, but wil1
grant the favor.
'fhe good pl'iest then says: "l\fy
good God, Yon will not be properly treated by us, we are
1wor and I fear Your lodging will not be worthy of You.
'rhe reply was: " Fear nothing, 1 will send an angel
to guaid the bouse, and another to guard the altar, and
you will be infol'med co11ce1ning the entl'e situation.m
~1. Chabanier objected and delayed until he was urged
mo1e strongly and he fel t tha t he was resisting God. He
went to see his director, who was . Father l\folliant of the
Ro<'iety of .Je~ns, mHl gav him a full account of what had
1.A ut og rnphi c Life, ch . LXI.
2H i Rt o r y o [ t IJ e l\'l on:i st e r y of th e In c arn a t e
S :i C' nlln<'nl o f L yon s . O riginal m n nuscript , p. 5 2.

"Tor<l

n n d the Bl e ssed -

RETURN 'l'O LYONS

141

occurred. This Father answers: "My goo friend, it is

God who has spoken to you. Eut to take away all doubt,
say to Onr Lord that if He cloes uot repeat to you all that
He had sa id, yon will do nothing. " 1
J esns was willing to condescend to this ag1eemeut and
again to ask hospitality from his faithful servant during
his prayer of that evening. He is convinced, but again
goes to consnlt his director, who enjoins him to do what
has been commanded to him, and to obse1Te with care
whether everything turns out as had been announced. Everything was accomplished to the very letter.
Great was the happiness of the little community. From
that moment the . Sisters said the Office and made their
morning and eveniiig prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
'l"'l1eir adorable -~Iaster W'illed to do still more. The chapel
. of Our Lady of Loretto, which later became the property
of the Congregation, did not as yet belong to them. In
1632, the ecclesiastical Superiors thought it best for the
Sisters to begin to observe the cloister and permitted them
to lodge in their house Him Who was their whole love
and treasure. An interior choir and an exterior chapel ,vere
arranged and He came to dwell with them on the day of All
Saints in 1632, scarcely six '"eeks before the arrival of the
Fonndress.
Now nothing was lacking for the .f elicity of the little
family, which possessed its God and its l\Iother, except for
its members to see themselves clothed w"ith the holy livery
of the Incarnate 'Yord, and to consecrate themselves to
His service by the vows of religion. \Yhile they were
awaiting this happiness, all of them, uncler the guidance of
their saintly l\fother, labored with ne"~ ardor for the acquisition of the virtues which make the true daughter of
the Incarnate 'Vord. They find admirable help for this
in the examples of the Sisters who have corne to them from
Paris. One of these a bove all had been preceded by a
reputation for merit and virtue, and, as the l\femoirs of
the foundation say, " Had been received like an angel from
1Histo r y o f th e M o n a st e r y of th e In car n a t e \Vorcl a nd th e B l es s -=11
Sacra m e nt o f L yo n s. O ri g in a l m a nu sc ri pt, p. 52.

142

LIFP: OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEt

Heaven." This was the venerable Sister Elizabeth Grasseteau.1

She was a danghtel' of a eon11selor of the Parliament
of Pal'is, and from he1 emly ehihlhood had given indications of the pe1fection she wonld ieach. She was miraculously healed from an incnl'able malady, by the intercession of the holy Bishop of Geneva, and she gave herself
up 'vholly to prayer, IJenanee and good works, and consecrated the greater part of every day to the care of the
sick in the hospital. She devoted herself to this holy
wol'l~ with the heroism of the great saints.
She entered the Abbey of Port Royal to be" a religions,
but conlcl not stand its ansterities, and was obliged to
leave. 'rhis disappoiutment cansed her such great pain
that she fainted. .At that moment she heard in the depths
of her heart. "'Conl'agc, my danghter, this is not the place
in which I wish thee to be. I have destined thee for l\f~y
Order, the approbation of which is now being sought at
Rome. Soon, I will make thee acquainted with the person to whom I have confided the execution of this great
design of .My love." The effect of these words was allpowerful. Imrnediately she recovered her senses, adored
the will of God, and devoted herself to it completely. She
ardently prayed that the hour wonlcl corne for her to see
that confidante of the divine plan. 'rhe first time these
two great souls met, Our Lord revcaled each to the other,
and the veneration and attachrnent which they reciprocally
inspired, unitcd thcm forever.
Vigorons recrirninations were made in the family of
~Iiss Grasseteau whcn
her resolntion became known:
attach herself to an i11divic1nal who has taken it into her
head to found a new Order ;-sacrifice ber Iife to the pursnit of an nncel'tainty ;-what an aberration! Is it not
better to enter a monastery which is well established, in
wh ich the honor m1d secmity of her existence will be assnred? During four years the family will persist in paying no pem;;ion for her, ail(l iu lendin; her no help. Neither
t.AH that concerns Motller Elizabeth Grasseteau is taken from the
original manu scripts of the founation of the Order of the Incarnat
\\Tor<l, and from the biographies of the ftrst Mothers.

IlETURN TO LYONS

143

the severity of her IJatents nor the long delay b1 the estabI~hment of the Order, could make her take back the absolnte gift whkh she had made of herself to the Incarnate
\Vord. Like a trne danghter of His Order, she desired
only to imitate Him and to follow Him even to Calvary,
and she carried to heroism the p1actice of the virtues which
made her more like Him.
Althongh she had been brought np delieately and her
health w~s weak, she unceasingly sought the occupations
which were the most painful and menial. Often the
Foundress, seeing her giving herself np to the more fatiguing labors in the kitehen, said to her: ""l\Iy daughter, leave
that to be done by S;ters who are stronger than you." She
replied: '"My l\lother, if yon knew the joy I feel in doing
this work, you would not order me to quit it. For a little
pain suffered in my body, my 'Yell-beloved fills my soul
with all the joys of Paradise. 'rhe more I suffer, the more
I desire to suffer to make myself like Hhn. By yonr mn1
cxperience, ;vou well know that we cannot keep away from
suffering when we look at that adorable Spouse dying on
the cross."
The sole anxiety she cansed her clear l\lother was that
of moderating her peuances. nrithont this checking, she
would have wasted herself away from fasts and austerities.
She continnally wore a hair-shirt and inflicted herself with
severe disciplines, so that the Sisters took pity on her and
hid ber chains and cords, etc. But this precantion was
useless. She was caught in the act of gathering hanclfulls
of nettles to take the plnce of the instruments which had
disappearecl. She found a way to make a c1own . of thorns
which she wo1e on certain days nnder her heacl-gear. She
was greedy for humiliations and besonght the l\Iother
Foundress not to be stingy in giving them to he1. 'rhe latter
knew the high perfection to whfrh her well-beloved danghter
was callcd, and did not spare ber. Rhe reprimanded her
severely for the slightest imperfections, withont sncceedh1g in satisfying her thirst for abjection and lrnmiliation.
'rl1is thirst can~cd Mother Grm~setenn to ~nrceed in obtahiiug for hcrself the o!licc of tonrierc. She fulfillcd

144

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.A.RD DE l\IATEL

it for four years. 'Vhen she was hurrying through the

streets canying heavy loads, her heart was in a stat of
jubilation at sharing the pains of Jesus loaded with His
cross, and her humility was triumphant.
Our Lord responded to this heroism by favors which were
sublime. He imparted to her a great gift of prayer. Every
day she prayed three or four honrs together, on her knees,
motionless and without support. Every night she remained
in prayer until midnight, to adore the annihilation of the
'Yord in the moment of His Incarnation. Her entire life
was but one uninterrupted prayer. She remained in profound
recollection and kept religions silence in the midst of most
distracting occupations. The Incarnate 'Vord favored her
with His sensible presence. Few days passed without her
receiving some signal favor from Heaven. The austere Father Gibalin, to whom she gave an acconnt of her favors,
considered them a treasnre which should be preserved for
the Order. He wrote them in twelve or fifteen note-books,
in a snrnll aud close hand, and entrusted them to the keeping of the secretary, Sister Frances Gravier. But the humble l\'fother Grasseteau came to learn this, found the papers, .
and immediately consigned them to the flames.
It was not possible to hide altogether the secret of so
many graces received. Our Lord, at t~mes, made them so
striking that they pierced all the veils with which they were
covered by her hnmility. 'rlrns, on the feast of St. Thomas,
the Apostle, while she was hearing a sermon, her heart was
pierced with a divine wound, which made her fall down
fainting and drew from her :l cry which "~as heard by the
whole community. 1~ rom that moment, her health: which
was aheady wenk, became still more feeble. On every Friday especially, she suffered extreme pains from that wound.
\Yhen they bccmne insupportable and sremed about to put
an e1H1 to he1 days, He, 'rho had wonnded her, showcd Himself to he1, and cnred her hy touching and blessing this
wotmd with Hi~ adorable hand. l\Iothcr de l\'f atel dccmcd
it lier dnty to try to b1ing some ~olace to thi8 martyrdom,
lly hnman rcmedics. 'I'he physicians, who had trcated her,
cdarcd that the illncss came from a supcrnatmal cause
1

RETURN TO IiYONS

145

an<l that their art could do nothing. p to her death. this

faithful hnitator of ~J esus crucified, kept on her right side
the stigma of that loving wound which was like a blackish
scar covering coagulated blood.
It is easy to eonceive w ith 'vhat supplications thi~
seraphic lover of the Incarnate 'Yord, called for the establishment of His Ortler. God, in His impenetrable designs~
wi11ed that the sacrifice which she so ardently desired to
consnmmate for the glory of her adorable Spouse, woulcl
have only Heaven as its witness.
One day, as Rhe wns meditating on the means of attaining the highest perfection, Our Lord appears and invites
her to make the three vowR of poverty, chastity and obedience, although the Order was not yet established. At first
she feels some apprehension at the thought of making the
vow of poYerty. She fears to appear singnlar among her
Sisters who lfre in the Congregation and retain the dominion of their property. AR thiR circumstance grieves her.
Gocl the Fa ther manifests Hhnself to her in incomparable
glo1y. and says to her: .. T S\Year to thee by Jiy Son incarnated for the salYation of man, that thon wilt never repent
of having offered Him the three vows of poverty, chastity,
and obedience. Jiy Roly Spirit will be thy light in thy
doubts. and thy strength in thy weakness. Our august Trinity will assist thee with snch graces and surronnd thee
with snch protection that thou shalt not offend It in any of
these vows." Sister Grasseteau is thus reassured and imparts to her director and her veneratecl ~fother, what the
Incarnate \"\Tord desires of her, and asks them, with such
earnestness and humility, their permission to accomplish
it, that she obtains their approYal. To make the~e vows to
Our J_,01d she chooses the feast of the Hlessed 'l'rinity in
1 G~-1.
On that ble~sed dny, the Ete1nal Fai her opens to lrcrive
ht 1' and hr1 sac1ifier, the adol'ablr boRom 111 whieh He etermllly begpts; His W'" md, a ud sayR to her: "'Thy vmY of obe<1 ienee i~ accepted by :\fy~elf, that of poverty by ~Iy Son. and
that of cha~tity hy the Holy Spirit. F1om tltis sncred cen ter of the divine Essence, she discovcred so nrnny womleis
1

146

'LIFI~

OF' JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\IATEL

on the excellence of the religions vows, on the inconceivable

love of the 'Vord of God for herself and for the Order which
He wishes to make an extension of His incarnation, that
her soul, inundated with light and joy, could not again dei-;cend from the heights to which she had been elevated.
Duriug the en tire octave of the Blessed Sacra.ment, she
liYed as if in one nninterrnpted raptnre. The saintly Mother, wl10 alone shared the secret of these favors, had to take
the care of the body of her claughter whose son:!, being in
an ecstacy, could not lower its flight to the earth to attend
to the needs of the life here below.
After tbis, it is needless to say witb what perfection
she observed her vows, not only did she strip herself of all
she possessed, but on her knees, with inexpressible hurnility,
she hegged for anything she needed and received it as an
ahns. Indeed it was necessary to oblige her to make known
her wants, for she felt excesses of joy when anything bappened to be lacking to her, and she lovingly concealed the
treasury of her privations. If some represented to her tbat
the vow of poverty does not obligate to such priva.tians,
she replied: "Tb ose who practice poverty only from the
motive of its obligation, do not know its value. To be truly
poor and to have a little pure love, is to be infinitely ri('h,
whereas, to possess all and be poor in pure love, is to be
in a state of indigence that is pitifnl."
The chastity which she had vowed from her early childhood, shone in her with angelic lustre. To conserve it, no
austerity seemcd to her to be too great, but she considered
the mortification of the senses and the heart to be indi8pensable, and she said that the lcast imperfections in tlwsc
matters tarnii-;h the pmity of the soul and hinder it from
rising to God. She was ingeniom~ in hiding the ;iftR of
natnrn and grace she had reecived, sn as to prevent other~
from becomillg nttadied to her. In her desire that all creatnreH might be occnpi<d with the Sovereign Good a lone, she
wonl have likc that no one wonld ever thiI1k of her.
Bnt the charader\ist-ic fcatnre of he1 lifc was the perfection m1<1 11e1oisrn of her obedien<'c. \Vhen Rhe offered
llcrsclf to the J11carnaic " 1ord to imitatc and follow Him,
~

RETURN TO LYONS

147

He shmYed His cross laid on the ground and ordered her

to stretch herself out upon it, and to let herself be attached
to it by the )fotlier Founclress. She did this, liYing and
dying on thnt eross of obeclience \Yhic-h made her humhly
accept the fact that tliree monnste1ies of th e Incarnate
\Yorcl were founcled before she herself was clothed with the
habit. She submitted to the intentions of the good ~lother
'd10 destined her for her dear bouse of Lyons of which
she made her the Snperioress and from which, in 1645, her
soul, \Yhich no longer coulcl be held to the earth, suddenl:y
took its flight to Heayen, adorned with the vfrtnes and the
love of her DiYine Spouse.
Such \Yas this Yenera ble "Jiother Grassete~rn of whom
)Jother de ~Intel ,note: "'All the Order of the Incarnate
\Yo1d 11n1st prai~e her 'irtues to its last day. ' ' 1 She also
called ber the fnithful one by excellence.' ' The spectacle
of her boly life and of her unalterable dev-otedness was one
of the greatest consolations which the Incarnate t\Tord had
prepared foi the Founclre~~ , to aid her to support the trials
she was to enconnter in the establishment of the Order.
r mmediately after her arriv-al at Lyons, l\Iother de l\Iatel
met with ne\Y trials. )Iother Catherine Fleurin, on giving
back into the hancls of the )lother Foundress the government of the bouse, relatecl with what charit:y the Fathers
of the Society of .J esus had assisted them and had eyen proYided them with food and meclicines during the terrible epidemic, and with what deYot~dness and enlightened zeal
their Snperior, Father Poire, had directed their souls in
the way~ of perfection. At the same time, she informed
he1 that t\YO clergymen , whose lights and science- \Yere far
from eqnalling those of that great religions, were seeking
to substitute their ministry for his and to make themselves
the maste1s of the 1ittle Congregation.
'l'his fact was strange but true. Of this l\Iother de )latel
\Yas soon convinced. These two personages, hoping that
their good intentions wou1cl be more appreciated by the
lrnmhle Founclress than they had been by her who had been
taking her place, macle demonstrations of joy at her arri l .;-\

u t ographic Life, ch . LXI,

148

LIF'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\1A'l'EL

val, and hastened to make in the most eugaging manner, the

offer of their servtes. She readily understood their incompetency and the co1TcdnesR of the iuformation giveu by
Mother Flelllin. 'J'herefon:, she humbl.r thanked them aud
begged Fa thei Poire to takc hcr un der his directiou and
to continue to help the Congregatiou of the Iucarnate " Tord
to advance in the perfectiou to which it is obliged, which
is to imitate Him of 'Vl10m it bears the Name. 1
Nothing is so presumptuous as unconscious incapacity.
'J'he clergymen in question, not being able to do the good
for 'vhich they deemed themselves suited, believed that no
one else could know how to do it, and gave themselves the
mission of overthrowing the "~ork, for which they were
not wanted as its rulers. After having attempted in vain
to make l\fother de l\fatel lose the good esteem which she
had conceived for Father Poire, they eated her most rudely
in the dealings which .she was obliged to have with them
for a long time. They endeavored to cause the withdrawal
of children whose edncation had been eutrusted to the Sisters, and to tu ru mem bel's of the connnuni ty a way from
their vocation. ~f'hey succeeded in several cases.
'rl1ese pel'fidions doings cansed the patience and charity
of the pions l\iother to shine forth with all the greater
brilliancy. She thus writcs of one of those agents: '" \Yith
all his intrigues, he was unable to take away from me
those daughters whom I desfred to keep, becanse You gave
them to me, and, Yot1r band, which is strouger than mine,
has retained them. Only those have left whom Yonr Provi dence did not wish to stay in Y our Order and whorn I
have allowcd to go away to do their owD ~vill. Most dear
Lord, as I have no unkind feeling against those who have
made me suffcr, I do not wish to have a pen to specify the
ed ls t hey wished to do me." 2
Tt is true that the charitable Mother had no pen to
wl'te the record of the nnqnalifiable proceedings used towmds her, nnd that we cannot find anywhere the names of
those who wcrc thefr antho1s. She did not coufiue herself
1

A utogrnphic

Life, ch. LXI.

2J\ u tograpJii c Life, c h. LVI.

RE'L'URN 'l'O LYONS

l49

to imposing silence on the persecutious of which she was

the object, but when she SJ)Oke of those who had condncted
themselves so evilly towarcls her, she found in her great
soul words of benevolenee to safegnard their reputation.
The 1\Iothers who were trained iu her school showed themselves w01thy of her. \Vhen they relate this trial in the
Annals of the Fouudation, they only say: ''If our Reverend
Mother Foundre~s had no pen to write what she was forced
to suffer, the charity of her daughters ought to follow her
example and have their ink dried up, since charity ought
to be the soul of their souls.m
l\fother de l\latel and her work had in the person of
Father Gibalin of the Society of J esus, an adversary who
was truly formidable. His profound science, solid virtue
and acknowledged prudence had rightly procured for bim
general esteem. During four years, on eyery occasion, he
liad raised his voice strenuously against the '"imaginations''
of Jeanne de l\latel and her 1chimerical hope8' ' of founding an Order. we may ask onrselves, how a man who was
so serions and enlightened, could conceive such prejudice
against a woman with whom he had never had any dealings? How could he, a J esuit, have professed sentiments
entirely opposed to those of his religions Superiors and
brothers who had been 'vell informed, (sin ce l\fotber de
I\fatel bad always had them as her directors) and who were
filled with veneration for her and with devotedness to her
work. By nature and from motives of virtue, Father
Gibalin was opposed to extraordinary ways. Nevertheless
bis strong good sense, bis science, and humility, far from
peing impediments to his recognizing special operations of
God in souls, placed him in the best of conditions for discerning between truth and illusion. His dispositions in
this respect, were not the sole motive of bis conduct towards 1\fother de l\fa tel ; he also h ad other reasons.
Father Gibalin had a brother 'vhose affection for him,
already great, had increased in inoportion to the bonor
reflected on his name, by the reputation of the learned
1History of the Monast e ry of th e Incarnate \Vorcl at Lyons. Originnl manu script, p. 72.

150

LIFE OF .JEANNE CHEZARD DE MA'l'EL

theologian and eminent religions. 'Vhen J...iyons wns visited

in lG~S by the terrible pest which brought about the first
~ojonrn of l\fother de l\fatel at Paris, l\fr. Gibaliu petitioned
the Superiors of the Society to permit his brother to eome
and sta_y in his castle of Villars with such a nnmber of
.Jesuits as it would please them to send, as long as the epi
demie would last. Father Gibalin came to enjoy his brother's hospitality in the company of Father Crest, a religions
of great piety whose skill in the direction of souls later
won the confidence of Anne of Austria and of the more
virtnous ladies of her Court.
The eldest daughter of l\lr. Gibalin, l\liss Mary l\Iargaret
Gibalin du Yillars, had cmbraced the religions life in a
commmtity of lrsnlines recently established at l\falzieu,
a small towu of Laugnedoc, of which l\fr. Gibalin was governor and which lJ01dered on the estate of Villars. 'l'he
Ursulines of l\lalzien made only simple vows and were not
snbject to the rnle of the cloister. The niece of Father
Gibalin, desirons of profiting for the good of her soul
by the presence of her uncle, made him frequent visits. J t
nearly always happened that l\fr. Gibalin, who was charmed
"Tith the learned conversation of his brother, gave his
daughter an opportunity of conversing with Father Crest.
If, at first, there was a reason for feeling that she was
making a sacrifice, she was not slow to perceive that this
was a rnost special grace. Shc soon observed that this holy
religions took plcasure in speaking of nothing but God~
and that he was- as prudent as he was pions. 'l'he more
she Iistened to him, the more she felt assured that she had
ha finally met the interpreter of the desires of God for
her~elf, and this was the truth.
l\fother l\fargaret Gibalin was a rare soul. Our Lord
had Iavished on her Ilis gifts of nature and of grace. At
the age of trn1, she had received a celestial proposa! from
the Sponse of Yfrgi11s, and had engaged her heart to Ilirn
hy the vow of clwstity. 'l'o remain faithful to this sacred
})l'ondise, ~he had to sustain many an attack from the world
and her family. Our Lord e11dowed her with power from
on high, to make her win the victory. As she was assisting

RETURN TO LYONS

151

at .Mass, in a chape! dedicated to the Immacnlate Conception, her spirit was suddenly rapt to a place all resplendent
with inexpressible magnificence. 1'hen she sa w herself
arrayed in a robe of dazzling white and decked with the
jewels of a royal sponse. The Blessed 1\fother prcsented
her to the I-Ioly ~rrinity, Y\'ho ieceived her from Mary's
materna} hands with grcat love, encircled her row with
a splendid crown and vested her in a light by which she
felt herself penetrated and transformed. 1'his vision filled
her with such great courage and such a vehement desirc
to love God, that it seemecl to her that nothing on earth
conld hinder her from devoting herself to His service or
could separate he1 from His divine charity.
She triumphed over all obstacles and tore herself away
from the world, and on the day of the Purification, February
. 2, 1617, at the age of fifteen, being presented to Our
Lord by the hands of 1\lary, she took the holy habit of religion. During the ceremony, celestial harmony of the
angels sonnded in her ears and fransported her spirit far
from the earth. In the midst of this rapture she heard
the words: "1'here is joy in Heaven becanse of you.m
1'he Snperio1s of the young novice mnltiplied her trials.
Her great qualities, the nobility of her family, and the services which could be expected from her, appeared to them
good reasons for exceeding the ordinary limits, to root
her virtne more deeply. 1'o humiliate her she was sent
iuto the town to ask alms, knock at door after door, and
beg for wool, straw, and wood, and to carry the wheat
to the mill, the bread to the oven and the soiled linen to
the brook. Her fervor conquered her natnral lrnughtiness
and made her peiform all of these acts with generons good
will. Bnt her parents became indignant and complained
londly that the religions snpcrioresses thns treatcd the
danghter of the Gove1nor and degr:.'tded ihe wholc family
1 her pc1son. 'rl10se trials oude the honsc were stopped,
but were mnply compensated by others at home. 'rhe virtne
of the heroic child was not fonnd wanting. Her love for
'

lWhat is h e r e relate(l of Moth e r l\Targaret Gibalin is taken fr o m th e

1Vonl and frorn th e biographie s of th e first
Mother.s,
History of th B Jncarnate

152

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.A.RD DE MATEL

J esus, her memory of the torments which He wished to

endure for us, made her find such happiness in what she
had to suffer, that the joy in her heart beamed on her countenance, and filled with admiration all who came near her.
'1'hc transports of her soul, and the attachment to her vocation which was procured by her through so many mortifications and humiliations, became so vehement that, three
months after taking the habit, on tl~e day of the Exaltation of the Roly Cross, being unable to resist the attraction which urged her irresistibly, she made, after her Holy
Communion, the three vows of poverty, chastity, and
obedience.
\Vhen receiving prema turely, from the tenderness of His
youthful spouse, that triple oath which ordinarily He accepts only when approved by the authority of those who
represent Him, Jesns we knew that it would one day be
fully ratified. In fact, the community were of one voice
to admit such a fervent noYice to her profession. Four
years after, they confided the government of that bouse to
this religions who was only twenty years of age, but whose
qualities and virtnes commanded their esteem and confidence. \Ye shall not speak of the fear of the young Superioress or of the efforts which she made to avoid the burden
which was imposed upon her. To make her accept it, Our
Lord showed her His Own Cross which lovingly attracted
her and inundated her soul with sweetness, which becamPgreater as she pressed it the more strongly to her heart.
Mother Margaret, onte bonnd to this cross of superiority,
surpassed all hopes. 'rhe commnnity which was already
very fervent, follo"?ed in her steps and made marked pro~
ress in the ways of pel'fectiou. Never had regularity, union
of' hcmts, obediencc, aiHl holy joy hecn so great. Our L01d
visihl y pomed ont His blcssings on things and persons,
lrn 1 e~pecially oll the 'Rnpe1ioress, whom He ha favored
with cxceptional gTaces and who responded to thesc favor~
hy the p1adiee of' most r--;uhlimc vi1tnel:-'. Howerf'l', one
day, while ~hc i~ ni p1nycr, the Divine l\Iaster givcs her to
mHle1:;..;ta11d, that Ile i~ 11ot c11ti1ely satisfied, and He expec; "~ometh ing m01c from her." An immensurn ble long-

IlETilN 'l'O LYONS

153

ing to Imow what is desired of her by Him 'Vlwm nlone she

]oves, inflames her heart. Her prayers have no other objecL
Even those of her danghters are directed to this intention.
She had often aspired to a life more absolntely ieligions
and more segregated from the world, without any one el~e
having made snch a sngg(stion. But the more she pI'ayetl,
the more she felt nrged to nccomplish the will of Gnd, 110
matter what sacrifice it might cost her. It is at the moment
when her whole being is aspiring towards the unknown
goal to which the wishes of her well-beloved Savior are
rawing her, that Father Crest cornes to Villars and Mother
..'\f argaret feels aiising in her soul the conviction she has
fonnd the one, who will reply to her constant question :
Domine qzl'id me vis facere. 'Lord, 'Yliat do yo wish me
to do ?m
She opened her heart to the holy religions, made to
him a general confession of her " thole life, revealed to him
the favors she had been granted by Our Lord, and her desire
of a more perfect sta te of life, but, above all, the ardor
which J esus had enkindled in her heart by saying to her
that He desired of her '"something more." According as
the treasures of graces with which Our Lord enriched this
so11I, were spread out under the sympathetic gaze of the
pions J esuit, the light becarne brighter in his own mi11d.
'Vhen .Mother l\largaret had ended her account, he said
to her: ''I rnay, indeed, have fonnd what Our Lord asks
of you. Bnt will yon ever have the courage to accomplish it '?"
She reiterates her protestations and
urges him to explain. He inforrns her that now at Lyons,
a person of extraordinaiy merit and virtne, is laboring to
realize a design of ineffable meicy with which Our Lord
has charged her,. namely, that of establishing a religions
Ortler under the title of the Incarnate 'Vord. He says to
her: "If the name is great, the Institute is no less great
and demands high perfection in the souls that are called
to it." He explains to M other ~laigaret at the p1ice of what
sacrifices she will have to pnrchase the favor of belonging to that blessed Order. But carried away by the Jrnp
1Acts. IX. 6.

154

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

piness whid1 immdates her, she interrnpts: "Oh Father,

that is enongh. Yon have fonnd what God asks of me.
Long ago, He inspired me with the thonght of an Order
of th e Incarnate 'Yord. If f had been able to uuderstand,
I wonld have sparecl myself mnch mmoyauce. He wished
to explain it to me by yonr mouth, in order that I might
owe my salvatiou to you."
She then relates that one year after her profession, when
she was gatheriug some pinks to offer a bouquet of them
to the Blessed l\Iother, the beauty of one of those flowers
in which the brightest red was blendecl with the most
shining white, threw her into a transport of admiration.
She was giving way to the desire of belonging to an Order
consecrated to the l\1other of all purity, when her soul,
seized with profound recollection, heard the words: "An
Order which woulcl be for the glory of l\lary wonld please
thee, but if there were one of the Incarnate \Vord, would
not this be acceptable to thee ?" At these words, all her
being had bounded with happiness and gave itself up with
love to the Incarnate " Torcl. But she had never heard
<)f an Order that bore that name, and she had seen in this
insinuation only a delicions bait from J esus to draw her
heart to Rimself more tenderly, and she had no idea that
it could contain an indication of a design of God.

Tt is easy to understand. after that, what an 1mpression was made on l\fother l\largaret by the p1oposal of
Father Crest. She felt herself in the folness of light and
truth, r eady to nndertake and suffer anything to accomplish the desires of God. r_ro gain greater assurance, it was
agreed that for this intention the Father would offer the
Holy Sa crifice three tirnes. and l\Iothe1 Margaret wonld hear
t hree l\Iasses.
As she was assisting at the last of the three, she had
a raptnre and was trm1sported to l\fother de l\fatel. She
!-\aw he1 in th e room in which she lived at Lyons, and
eloth ed in the dress that shc wore there. 'rhis good l\lothcr
cmh1a ced her with cxtrcmc tende1ncss and presented her
t o th e Blef'f'C<1 'r1inity as a victim to be imrnolated to Its

RE'l'URN 'l'O LYONS

155

glory. Father Crest had been favored with a similar vision.

For both of them, this was a sign of the divine wishes.
There was seemingly nothing now to do but to take
the means of realizing ber desire. l\Iother l\Iargaret, consequently, writes to l\fother de l\Iatel and expresses an ardent
wish to be a member of the holy Order which the Incarnate
"YVord has cornmissioned her to fonnd, and earnestly begs
for admission. She obtains a reply which is very cordial
and entirely favorable. Alas, what a long time and how
rnany trials before the happy moment when she will become the first religions of the Incarnate -nT ord ! To dispose
he1 for this long waiting, Our Lord appeared to her smiling,
under the featnres of a Iittle child who was loa<lecl with
a cross and looked at her lovingly and was departing for
a long journey. She understood. But no matter how
painfnl this delay, it could not shake her resolution. She
often said: "If I had to go on foot to Rome, 01 even to
the end of the earth to procure the establishment of the
holy Order, I wonld not hesitate one instant."
This whole affair was arranged during Father Gibalin 's
sojourn at Villars, but in view of his well-known seutime11ts,
it was thought best not to inform him of it. He departed
without haviug learned anything of the plans and steps
of his niece. Unfortunately, a letter she had written to
the venerable Sister Catherine Fleurin, by chance, slipped
into his papers and he fonnd it on his retnrn to Lyons.
I mmediately, with his most sharp pen , he writes to l\Iother
Margaret and treats her as one who is fickle and cannot
stay where she is doing well: as one who h as no ~ense, and
is caught by a plan whith is imaginary, etc. In the same
spirit, he w1ites to l\fon~ignor de I\Iareillac, Bishop of
)fende, and to Mr. dn Yillae's, his brothc1-., whom he begs
to nse their anthority to p1event his niece from irnrsuing
a f'hime1ical projrct whieh will never lw l'c>nl izc)d, since
tllc> Cardinal of LyoHs, 11po11 "h om tltey co1111t- to eom 1ll('Jl('<1 the 01de1, <loe:-; 110t wi:-\h to hear of' i L
8nch :-;trong letters corning from a mn11 of' :-;neh co11~i<leration as Father Gibalin, had their full effect.
'rhe
Bishop of l\Iende, whom Mother 1\fargaret had informed

15G

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'l'EL

of her intentions and who had encouraged them, now disapproved them. Mr. du Villars treated bis daughter as an
ingrate. Her relatives turned against her. The neighboring priests and ieligious, who up to this, had been full of
esteem for he1\ now blame her.
In the midst of these storms, she remained confident
and calm. He, for 'Yl10se love she was suffering, became
her peace and strength and joy. He lavished upon her
His rarest favors. ~rbe recital of them would be too long.
Sometimes it was the Roly Spirit who soared above her
and she heard the words: "I will espouse thee in the Roly
Spirit." Sometimes it was the Inca.r nate Word, \Vho, at
the moment when the Bull was being solicited, appeared
to her all covered with the wonnds of His scourging and
saicl to he1: ''At Rome I will be propitious to thee." "There
were even procligies which were manifest to the eyes of all:
thus the instantaneous cure of one of the Sisters by the
application of an autographie letter from the Reverend
l\lother Foundress. But of all the consolations which came
to her to sweeten the tedium of her long waiting, none
was equal to that which she experienced from the conversion of ber nncle, Father Gibalin, towards that Ortler,
of 'vhich be had been such a persecutor.
On her return from Paris, l\fother de l\Iatel saw herself face to face, at the same time, with the unreasonable
ambitions of two inclivicluals who wished to arrogate to
themsel ves the governing of the Order, and with the
antipathy of Father Gibalin. She quickly perceived how
the dissimilal'ity in the motives of these oppositions made
a difference in the hope of seeing them cease. With moRt
loving confidence, Rhe addressed herself to the Incarnate
\Yord and asked Him to change the heart of Father Gibalin
an<l to make him the protector of her work. Rer Divine
Spouse reC'eived her supplications with tenderneRs and assme lw1 that shc hnd be<}n henrd.
On 1 >e<'em ber 2:3, shc sent to beg this Father to have
tl1c ki11neRR to p1ea('h the sermon fo1 the fcast of Chl'ist111:t~ io hpi lit t-lP l';rn1ily. Nevcr ha<l Father Gibalin deigned
to knock at the door of tlint house. NevPr hnd be seeu

RE'l'UilN '1'0 LYONS

157

l\f other de l\fatel. At thjs special invitation, be resolved

to go to her and to take mvay from her for all time the

illusion she was cherishing of later counting his niece among

the nmnber of her daughters. 'Vhe~1 he presents himself,
everything in his personality speaks ont. Hi~ F;tern disdain reveals his plan of campaign. l\fother de Matel is
not troubled at it. She knows that God's time has corne,
and that her intrepid adversary is well on his wny to Damascus. She receives hirn with the exquisite politeness of
the saints. Rhe listens modestly to his cutting arguments
and replies to him with great gentleness: ''Father, it is
vain for yon to resist. Our Lord has promised me that
you will be our Saint Paul.ni He continued to struggle,
but the Incarnate 'Yord was throwing him down. The
reasons which he believed invincible, in his skilled hands,
were now onlv arms withont anv force in them. The humble l\[other wl~o felt thnt he was flghting the: Duru m est tibi
contra stim u lwn ra lcitntre--'It is hard for you to kick
against the goad" 2- said to him: "Father, the Incarnate
"'\Vord wishes to con fi de to yonr care all the ho uses of the
Order, as He confided to St. Paul the care of all the
churches." 3
Her_ ardent but loyal nntagonist was vanquished. God
had combated for her, for she had said almost nothing.
However, she had some share in the battle and victory.
Father Gibalin had had too much experience with souls
not to recognize that the humble and deep peace she had
maintained u11de1 the blows of his biting assertions, could
be the effect, not of calculation, but only of sanctity. He
ietired deepl y moved.
After llis retmn to the college, Fnther Poire who often,
but in vain, had tl'ied to win him over to the Foundress,
observed his pern~ive mien - and asked him its cause. He
iHgennonsly avowcd thnt he feared he had been mistaken
about ~[other de ~f ;el. rJ'l1 e Pather Rector strongly
mged hirn to investignie 1he qnestiun and cl car H up .
1A utographi c Life, c h . LXII.
~A ct s, IX , 5.
3Autographi c Li fc. c h : LXII ,

158

LIFE OF JFJANNE CHEZARD DE MA'l'EL

rrhe excellent religious, who had made an error in

good faith, sincerely applied his mind to the search for
the truth. He prayecl, he consulted authors on the mystic
state. and he couferred with the ablest theologians in Lyons
on the extraordinary things which had taken place in
tl.1e case of the humble Foundress, and when he was finally
convinced that the whole " . . ork was from God, he frankly
acknowledged his eITor. He promised her that he would
exert hirnself with more ardor to procure the success of
her pions enterprise than he had previously shown to oppose it. He kept his word. The Order of the Incarnate
. Yr ord and its venerable Foundress had no more persevering and devoted protector and no witness or judge who
was more enlightened or impartial.
'rlie generous Father WI"ote to his niece, 1\Iother :Margmet, in a tone vcry different from that of bis first letter.
He declared that like another St. Paul he had been converted to the work which he had persecuted. He exhorted
her to remain faithful to the divine call which she had
heard, and to try her best to 1esponcl to it as soon as
possible. He wrote his rctractions to the Bishop of l\Iende
and to l\fr. Gibalin du YilbH's, and begged them to acquiesce
in th_e plans of his niece. and cxpressecl to them his own
veneration for the Foundress and her work "'hich he had
before depicted to them in an unfavorable light. His
brother's esteem and affection won l\Ir. Gibalin du Villars
over to his changed opinions. Hnt it w,. as not the same with
i he Bishop of Mende.
No one rno1e than Father Poiie blessed this change of
miml of Father Gihalin. He had long greatly desired to
gain oyer to the ea u~e of the ncw Institnte a man of such
nbility. Henceforth they will he ahl0 to work together fo1
its i111Prrsh' a11<1 io m1iie ihPir cffo1ts fo1 it~ J>I'O~perity.
OnP or iltP- 1irst ('OllllSels wliielt fey gan~ io Mother <le
~l:t(pl W<IS 1101 lo ]'('ll'll io Prni~ hd010 ihc ]'t'('eption or
111c Bull whid1 the two i11<1iYidrntls, of wholll " e have
:--;pok<u, h:t<l had iJJ<l presm11p1i011 1o solidt 1'1om ({orne fo1
the ho11se of' Lyo11s withont cvcn iufol'ming the Fonndress
of this step.

159
As the reader may remember, at lier departure from
the capital, she had p1omised to iehun in three months
when the Archhi~d10p himself was to be back, and to execute
the Bull for th e monastery of Paris. Fathers Poire and
Gibalin, doubtlesR cmijecturing that things wonld not be
one as promptly 01 emly as had been believed, thought
it best for the l\lother Found1ess not to le.a ve the city
before she hacl receiYecl sure pleclges of the realization of
nll those promises. 'rhey even seemed to hope that a monastery would be erected at Lyons before the one at Paris.
Mother de l\Iatel dicl not slrnre these views. On her side
supernatnral lights we1e added to hurnan prudence.
On man:r occasions, in the course of her career, the purposes of which were so often crossed, she saw better and
farther than those who gave ber counsels. But even when
~he gra vest interests were at stake, she never preferred
her own persona} lights to those of obedience. If, in the
present case, it was given to her to know the duration
of the delays of the establishment of the monastery of
Lyons, her submission was heroic, for she contented herself with saying, ''Reverend Fathers, there will be a long
time to wait. But as I left Paris only on aclvice of yonr
Fathers, I will stay at Lyons to follow yours.m
Our Lord rewarded the generous obedience of the saintly
l\fother by miraculously making her know one of the reasons of His delaying the institution of His Order. Let us
hear herself relate this favor. ''On the vigil of Pentecost,
in 1633, while I was 'veeping before Your l\faje~ty 'Vho
reposes in the tabe1nacle, the throne of Your love, I heard
Your seraphs, who are the closest to Your diYine fiames,
saying to each other: Soror nostra JWJ'l)a, et ubcra 1wn
habet: qnid faci cnills sorori nostrac in die quando alloqucnda est? Si murus est ocdifice1wus super ell1n pro 1mgnaculn argcntca.
''Onr Sister is little and hath no
breasts. \Yhat shall we do to onr sister in the day when
she is to be spoken to? If she be a wall, let us build upon
1A

utogrn1)hC Life, ch . LXII .

160

LIFl~

OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\lAr.rEL

it lmhYarks of silver.m \Yhen I asked in what sense they

nse(1 these words of the Cantiele of love, they replied:
'"'J'hon art onr little sister who has 110 breasts to nonrish
the ehild1e11 of this little Order. 'Yhen the time cornes
to speak of the tempmal means of fonnding it, we promise
thee to p1ocme from Divine Provide11ce all that is needed
to fonnd it in thy name, with -what He will give thee, for
thee to return to I-Iim, without thy having coutracted obli- .
gations towards creatures of the earth for that foundation.
''Know, our sister, that the magnificent King, thy Spouse_,
thy Lord and ours, will retard its establishment until we,
by His orders, have provided all that is needed. He does
not will to fonnd the first honse of this Order through
ladies who want their time, and not His which shall corne.
He does not wish to give to another the glory of this foundation. His grace, His SJJ'it, and His goods, that He will
give thee, will be snfeient to found it. Be consoled and
place thy confidence in Hirn \Yho wished no other material
to cover Hi m wi th a body but the pn re sn bstance of a
virgin, and 'Vho has resolved to give thee, what He wishes
to receive back from thee, to establish His Order. Have
patience and thon shalt see great things. Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but His word shall not pass away. He
will accomplish all He has ordered ns to promh;e thee." 2
It is easy to comprehend 'vhat c011solation such assurance ponred into the heart of that happy sister of the
seraphs, and what tender confidence it inspil'ed in them.
'''l'herefore," she added, "'l call on them in rny needs with
as mnch faith m.; they have fidelity, and I have experienced
theil' pl'ompt snceor.'~ 3 Rome months late1, she received
from thcm n signnl fayor.
As she -was complaini1i'g to Om Lonl of remnining so
]oHg a time without being a 1eligions, ~lie lrnew that His
goodnes~ nl'ged theRe Spirits, who al'c all chnrity, to con~ole he1.
'l1hey emaptnred her, and, i11 the prc~euce of
tCanticl e of C anti c l e s , VIII. S.
2Autographic Life , ch. LXYilL
3lbid e m .

~-

REJ'l'URN 1'0

LYO~S

161

the Divine l\Iajesty, admitted her to take part in their

sacred chorus, to chant with them: Sanctus) Sanctus)
8a n rtus. and to be cornm med, li ke themsel ves, in the braziers
of infinite Iovo. '"From !hat day," she says, "l was so intlamed with their living tlmne fat I saw rnyself bnrning
with tlrnt seraphi~ ffre; my heart and hosom seemed to be
a fnrnace.m
I t was necessary to take measmes that the decision
made about the return of l\Iother de l\Iatel to Paris might
not compromise there the foundation which had already
advanced so far. It w:Js determined to send, in her place,
Mother ~.,leurin, in orcler that she might promote its advancement, and at the same time, devote herself to the
work of the foundation of the House of Providence.
One of the first to co-ope1ate with St. Vincent de Paul
and Miss Legras, was :Mary de Lumague, the Widow
Polallion. 2 Madmne Polalli011 rernained an active member of the Confraternities of Charity, which were like preludes to the wonderfnl institution of the Daughters of
Charity. and she devoted he1self particularly to what 'vas
called the -YV 01k of Providence. In a house situated on
the street of the Arbelete, she had gathered eighty girls,
rescued or preserved from a life of shame. She ardently
desired that l\fother de l\Iatel would take over the direction of it. But the mission with which the latter had been
charged, did not permit her to accede to these desires.
l\fadame Polallion was not di.Rconcerted by this refusa!.
She made such an eaniest appeal to l\fother de l\Iatel, that
she obtained from her the promise to give her one. of her
rlaughters to direct this work.
Snch was the office which the venerable l\Iother Fleurin
was to enter upon. In spite of her modeRty, with which
she veiled her whole life, in this new undertaking ber eminent virtues were to shine forth with brilliancy. She gov1Autographic Life. ch. LXIV.
2She was born at Paris in Hi99 ant1 died in 1657. She enterec1 when
very young, the Orc1er of the Capuchin Nuns, but left it for reasons of
health, before llaving pronounced her vows. Sl1e was governess of the
children of the Duchess of Orleans. In 1630, she foundec1 the "Daughters
of Provic1ence" and helped St, Vincent de Paul to establish the house of
tlie New Catholics, which was endowed by Turenne.

1G2

LIFI~

OF .JEA:N ~E CHEZAnD DE l\IA'.rEL

en1ed ihc mimerons and difllcult }Jen;onnel of the establishment "~ if sueh w~lom as can corne only from 011 high.
Her zpa} wns lrn1niug. Slle spared neither ]H'<typ1~ llOl'
penmH~s for the ~nl va ti on of souls.
Often, <iod g:we ltl'r
the knowledgc of the state of souif.; whethe1 in lifc 01 :tfk1
<llnth. Once, as she was lommending to Our Lord a poor
woman who had lost her mind, she learned that this misfortune had corne when she was in the state of mortal
~in.
She immediately redoubles her supplications and conjures the Divine Mercy to giYe that poor creature the rneans
of regaining the state of grace. She obtains for her thrce
days of perfect lucidity, during which she makes her general confession and receives Iloly Communion, and then
relapses into her former demented state.
Not only did God show to her the })l'eseut state of souls,
but also granted her prophetic ligh ts, the truth of "~hich
was always confirmed by future e'vents. rrhere were couuted
more than six persons, living then like saints, whose fofidelity she fo1etold, which, alm~, turne<l out only too true.
On the other hand, sbe promised the return to God of certain souls from whom nothing was hoped aiid who afterwards were sin cerely con vel'te<l.
Her charity was not exercised only for the good of souls,
bn t extended to all kinds of nceds. God often ble~sed her
with mfracles. Iler Daughters of Providence attested that
they had been witnesses of scveral exa01dinaiy cure~~
which were acconled to h~r prayers. \Ye ~hall mention
one of these :
A surgeon, while applying causti~ to a patient, bnrned
:rn al'tc1y. 1='he nnfortmiatc woman was losing all lter
hlood. T'he most skillful physieians of Pal'is lent thei1
nid. After nselc~s effol'ts,. all abandoned th9 case. rl'ht>
anthor of the aeci<lcnt wa8 thns "losing hiR courage with
h is honor." J n accents of despair he sa id to ]f other FleuriJ1:
"Jfofer, if you do not pray for me, I am lost." She i~
<lP<ply touched. She assembles the co111mm1it,y in the chapel,
lia~ the I1oly Sacrifice offe1cd, 1cccivcs Holy Communion,
:rnd wlH11 (hc ~[assis ovcr, t-hc p:d icnt i~ i111111e<liatcly cmc<l.

163
But Mother Fl enrin won the confidence and veneration
of all her d a n ght ers less by these special gifts than by her
virtues, especially by her humility, obedience, love for povert y, and her continuons pray er. :M. le \ Tachet, a holy
priest who was the eonfessor of the honse, seeing this soul
call ed to a sta te of h igh perfection, made a study of how
to assure her spil'itual progress a nd to humiliate her. He
ordered her to givc a n aeeou nt of ber interior to a person
of the COllllllllllty and to mro w t o her, every day, the faults
into which she had fallen. rrhe ~Iother embraced this practice 'Yith such generosity, th at sh e verformed it on ber
kn ees. . The expre~sions she then n sed r evealed such contempt for herself, that the per son who had received the
order to listen to these con fi den ces an d to r eply to them
with dry reprimands, even w hen sh e saw no reason for so
doing, was filled with adm iration fo r the l\iother and with
shame for herself.
The holy Directress was ingenious to mortify herself.
Often she gave all ber own food t o the poor and passed
whole days 'Yithout taking any nourishment. And one of
lier d~nghte rs remnrked th nt '"Yrc n ever lwd any trouble
witJ1 her except whcn we snrp r ised her giving alms. m
In orcler not to l ose, wh il e governing others, the merit of
obedienee, sh e had made a vow to obey her confessor and
although he W<l~ mndlling to accep t t his VO \Y, she prncticed
it with fidelity which was h eroi c in its degree. r:rhus, to
obey him, dming long years sh e d ep1iyed herself of the
hnppiness of "'earing the lwb it of th e Order of the Incarnate \Yo1c1 , nlthough this was t he arden t clesire of her heart.
Ill spite of their respect for the \Yo rthy Mother Fleurin ,
it wa~ not she, bnt the Fm rn dres~ 'Yh o wm; d esfred by th e
noble dmne ~ , who h ad thonght to en dO\Y t he mona~t e ry of
ilte enpitnl. rrheil go()<l w i ~ lt e~ g1e w ~la c k . YVlrnt appeared
po~~ible to fin i~]1 in ~orne n1on t . h~, c1 1np;ged 011 throngh y e ar~ .
ln 1h<' <>n cl, <l~ lH1 ~c1npltic prm' i cl P 1 ~ h a d ann<nrn ced io
.\ loiJ1p1 ch .\fniel, it \\':l~ u oi \\' tl1 i lte f111l(l ~ '"hirh ih (~<~
cl: 1 111P~ J1ncl p10111i~cd th:ti: t he 111 0 11mdt1y wn:-; fo1111Cl ecl , hn i
1.All h e r e i e la t e d of l\T oth e r Fl e urin is t aken fro m the Histo r y of t h e
Fo11ndation of the Ord e r of the In c arnate \ Vorcl a n d fro m t h e b iograp h ies
of th e first l\lothers in original manuscripts .

164

LIF'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\1.A'.rEL

with those which the seraphs had been charged to procure

for that purpose.
Finally, news was received at Lyons of the step taken
at Rome to obtain a Bull authorizing the erection of a monastery in that city. 'fhis news was not what was desired
but only what was to be expected from the presumptuous
meddling of those who had taken the affair npon themselves.
Cardinal Bentivoglio com1Jlained that the petition was
not worded in the 1no11er form, and it was not like that from
Paris, which had been praised and approved by the Holy
Father and the Cardinals. It was necessary to begin all
over at new expense. So that this Bull cost the double of
the first, whereas, as l\fother de l\fatel says, '"lt co~1ld have
been obtained with almost no expense, by asking only what
had been asked for by the Rull from Paris.m
The two individnals whose incompetency received from
this fact, an evident demonstration, had not yet ended their
vexations. l\fother de l\fatel, from this circumstance,
thought it best to break off all relations which were so injurions and painfnl. She consnlted her director, Father
Giba1in , to whom the decision W'as left. He had the courage
t o ask her to continue these relations. Ce1tain persons of
mnch goocl sense, who were witnesses of the sacrifices which
this advice aftenyards cost the Foundress, said, "That it
was not only severe but also cruel." 2 Nevertl~eless, the
saintly l\Iother snbmittcd to it. Her faith hcard the voice
of God in obedience, and she could not dcprive herself of
this merit.
'J'his apparent rigor was only a divine satagem of Him
who loved her so amazingly. rrhis daily cross added to the
othe1s, which were occasioned by her efforts to accomplish
hcr mission , crented in her soul , by the nced she felt of the
liYine ai<l , an eve1 growing eapaeity to 1eeeive graces which
the T11rarnnte \Ym<l wishP<l to f'lll~P to fiow into it in
l lm

ndanee.

'l'he pel'iod of Jtp1 e:uee1 011 which :-;lie wns now entc1ing
i 11 fa et, one of the mo~ t fa vo l'ed i 11 her life. Almost

\Y(IN ,

l /\ 11tog-raphi c Lif c, ch , L X H ,
:.!Ib idem.

RETURN TO

165

LYO~S

every day Our Lord raised her spirit up to Himself aud

cornmunicated to it surprising lights. "YVhen she afterwards
gave to the directors of her soul, au acconnt of what had
been granted to her to see and understand, they were struck
with admiration. They avowed that such sublime knowleclge, in a JJerson who wns a stranger to science and theological studie;;.;, could only corne from God. rrhe enlightened
directors, to whose bands Providence lwd snccessively entrusted her, had been unanimous in wishing her to consign
to 'vriting the lights she received. As we have seen, Our
Lord had given her th e same command. At this epoch He
renews H and says to he1: Dedi te in Zu1nen Gentinm. "l
have given thee as a Iight to the Natiou.','1 In her humility,
she tried to persuade herself that it woulcl be much more
proper for her to keep sil eu ce th an to "Tite rashly a bout
thiug~ of Gocl.
Bnt He rejoined: ,M y lcords are rnore valiiable than gold and precious s'tones, 2 and it would be a
crime to let them fall into oblivion through neglect. 'Vhen
thy infirmities will no longer permit thee to write them
down immediately, have them noted in an abridged form by
thy director, to be developed afterwards by thyself, when
thon shalt be in better health. It is for this purpose that
I have made thee corne to I.yons and that I have managed
that thou shouldst have the direction of Father Gibalin." 3
1

rrhere was indeed a solid assurance in the impartial and

Iearned control of the grave theologian, who, having consented to examine what he hacl reproved, without knowing
it, said humbly: "'After haYing studied aud tanght t.heology
during long years, I found myself far from the admirable
Iights which this g1eat soul had clrawn only from comnnmications with God." He also affirmed "'That having
snbjected the w1itings of ~fother de ~Intel to the most rigorous censorship lrnown to theology, he lrnd fonnd in them,
Hothing whith was not in harmony with the standard of
01thodox faith 01 which did not agree entirely with the
1Is. XLII, 6.
2Ps. CXVIII.

See in Clia pter XXXI on th e T es timoni es, th e att estati ons of Fath er
Gib a lin .
.!

166"

LH'E Ol<' .J.KANNE CHEZARD DE l\IA'l'EL

teaC'hings of the Pathers of the Chmch or did not breathe

the perfnme of piety."
By the splendor of the lights divinely infused into the
pious Fonnclress, he soon came to observe shadows in the
science which he had acquired at the cost of such great
labor. He regTetted the loss of the time in which his spirit
avid for wisdom had been in search of knowledge other
than that whose incomparable beanty was unfolded under
his eyes. Wrhilst the humble l\Iother, in giving an account
of the favors which she had received, was . trying to express to him, in lrnman langnage, the nths which she had
contemplated in their divine source, that scholar whose
mind ".,.as so positive and whose imagination was so cool,
was so emaptured that time passed without h is perceiving
its duration. It eve11 happened to him to become oblivious
of the honr for him to be prese11t at the exercises of his
own commnnity.
However, Fathe1 Gibalii; great admiration did not fas
cinate him. IIe wns al ways hinu~elf. He was ever austere
and desirous of fostc1ing in l\Iothe1 de ~fotel the vrofound
lrnmility which tonched him more deeply th:rn all the other
grnce~ which he a<lmired in her.
IIe rcbnked her unRparingly Hll(l ie1n;oaelwd her even for faults of style which
he fonnd in her writi11gN. 'rhc holy disciple of the Incarnate wr ord, who had received in the mt of writing 110 lessons
but thosc of' her adorable l\faster, 8poke to Him of these
l'eproaches and eomm Hed Him on "hat to do so as not to
deserve them agnin. Our Lord mfle replies "rhich were
duuming. 'l'hns Fnthf'r Gibalin having repronched hel' for
not lrnvillg cnongh 01flc1 m1d sequence in he1 writings, she
plaeed hc1 <liliculiy hPl'ore lier Divine 'reach('1', who repliecl:
Tt i~ the W<lY of srn a 11 me1ch:m tl4 who en ny nll thei r goods
i11 011P ]><tek tiPd to ihPi1 llP('k, io keep in ol'(le1 the little
111e1<harnli~c wlii<'h il1Py h:tYP. Hut i11 the gt'(~at tdoreR, the
:drn11<l:lll<'<' ol' \\'<:dllt lll:tkPN l'<']I llH'l'<h:llllN pilP halPN 011
h:tl<N wi11to11t Ol'dPt'." 1
lie ~:tid Io hp1 :tg:1i11: ""11 N 11ot 1'01 :1 qHeeu, Io wliorn
Jip1 10.ntl NJH>llNe 11e\'c1 tIes of' gi\'llg new jPwels miel gowrn~,
1\Vriting8 of l\'lotl1 c r d e Mat c l, Vol. l, p. 215.

RETUR~

TO

LYO~S

167

to pnt them in orde1. This is the bn~iness of the l'Hlie~

in " aiting. )Iy mnnifieence is mnch gl'eater to thee tli;rn
that of a11y king to his qneen and ){y honnty i~ enricldng
thee eontiinwlly. Let othe1s nnanp:e these adornment~ in
the wa,v thPy ,,i~h. The i11(1iYidna1s who thns SJ)eak to thee,
are thy page~. I t i~ their fonction to arrange the chamber
of the Sponse, as it is that of )Iy lme to giye nnsparingly
all that I "ish thee to liaYe. Let them arrange, if they
can, the profusion of 1Iy graces which are all agreeab1e
in their loving confusion which is not disorcler but admirable liberality.m
In fact, profnseness of wealth is a characteristic of the
\nitings of )Iother de )Iatel. The traYeler who has climbed
to the summit of a high monntain, from there, vdthout
effort, can admire the general aspect the relatfre situations. and the beauty of the ybole view. In an instant
he Slll'Yeys the immense space 'Yhich he takes 111UCh time
to t raYerse '"hen he again descends to the plain. Thus,
from the sublime heights to which Onr Lord deigned to
Itise that priYileged soul, it was grantecl to her to }Jlunge
lier enraptured gaze into the limitless horizons of the
diYine mysteries, and to disco-ver something of the ineffable fecundity of the Sacred \\.,. ord. In a fact or a word
of our Roly Books, there appeared to her a whole world of
\Wmders. But when she lrnd corne dmn1 from her Thabor
and had to relate what she had admired in ber rnystic
ascensions, and express snccessiYely what she hacl learned
hy simple sight, this was a difficult task. Let us hear herself explain this:
Seriptnre teaches us the same truths in seYeral "ays
and nnder diverse sym bols, which cliYine light rnakes me
know all at once by simple sight. No one shoulcl be astonished that I am so long and prolix in my w1itings, as I
haYe been illmnined by so many lights and by manifold
knowl eclge of ~o many clifferent matters. 'Yhen the Spirit
of the Father and the Son teache8 me wonders, by His goodness, on ti-nths of the Scriptures, withont any d_ifficulty in
fin<ling the tlnead, I write or speak according as the mnlti1\Vr itings o.f :\Iother d e l\1at e1, Vol. 1, p. 21 5.

lGS

LIFE OF JEANXE CHEZAilD DE l\IATEL

tude of thoughts, which crowd me, permit. Those who are

in the water up to their knees, corne out of it as they wish;
tho8e np to their necks, as they can.m
'J'he most consi<leral>le parts of the writings of l\fother de
Mntel, which have corne down to us and which we have
the happine~s to pm.;~ess in her handwl'iting, bear the date
of the six years of sighing and waiting, which she is to
pass at Lyons. and fey form a treasure of more than three
thousnnd folio pages. She there relates; almost day by
day, the graces which she receives. And her divine Spouse,
by His adorable and manifold tenderness, seems to wish
to make her forget the length of His expectations, and to
console her for the refusals virl1ich oppose the execu tion
of His work.
Thus, thanks to ail these aids, the pious :Mother and
her daughters will traverse, with heroic patience and COnstancy, the period of unyielding resistance, on which they
are now to enter.
1\Vritings of Mother de Matel, Vol. 1 , p. 400.

CHAPTER XI
Mother de Matel and the Opposition of Monsignor
de Richelieu

1G3-1G37
8ome time after the corrections had been made in the
petition which, as we bave seen, was sent to Rome without
)lother de 3latel being consulted, the Bull for Lyons arrived.1 'l"'his happened on August 14, 163. It placed the
monastery to be erected 1 the city, uuder the jurisdiction of the Ordinary and the Archbishop was commissioned
to put the Bull into effect. l\fonsignor Alphonse de
Hichelieu then occupied the archiepiscopal see of Lyons.
T11e reader will recall the appeal made by Mother de l\fatel
to the Incarnate 'Ymd, to obta1 that this prelate would
succeed :\lonsignor de )[fron and the prophetic response
"'hich she had reeeiYed: 'Thon shalt be like Jephte's daughter, destined for sacrifice:' T'hese words we1e now to be
accomplished. She who bad been the first to go out to
honor the new Primate of the Ganls, like .J ephte's daughter
was to receiYe from the month of that fnther of ber soul.
the sentence which was to dra"T from her and ber daughters
so many tears, not becanse of involuntary virginity, but on
account of the resistanee opJJOSed to their ardent desires to
otfer up, for the honor of the Incarnate 'Vord. the solemn
sacrifice of their virgiuity and of their whole being.
As soon as the Bull had been received, measures "'e1e
faken to 1nesent it to the Archbishop under circumstances
which werc most fa yora ble for its acceptance. A distinguished .J esuit, whose eminent vfrtues and Ids dignity as
Provincial had acqnired for him the esteem and veneration
of all, was ie<1nested to lle the hearer of the document to
His Eminence and io solicit from hirn its execution. 'rhis
was Father )!ilien. 'rhc preceding year, the intercession
1See on the following page the fac-simile of the Bull of Pope Urban

VIII for the monastery of Lyons.

lGO

170

LIFE OF' .JE .\.N'.N'E CI-IEZ .\IW DE l\IA'l'EL

,...Q)
.....
<H

0
<l.J

OPPOSITION OF i\COXSIG~on DE nICHI<JLHDU

171

of Mother de ~fatel ha ~nnthed him from the jaws of

death. The g1eat age of the holy ieligious and the exfreme grayity of his malady, left 110 hope of saving his
life. But the T11cm11ate \Yord replied to the suppli cations
of His beloved sponse, by letting ber taste some of the
beatitnde whieh He had prepared for His faithful se1v~nt,
and sho""ecl her the place whete his body was destined
to repose " "hile mYaiting the glol'ies of the resnrrection.
\Yithout allowing herself to be disconraged, Mother de nfatel
continued her earnest appeal and repeated: Dear Lord,
l pray You that this Father may not leave ns so soon . He
i8 a saint who wil1 increase llis merits dnring the few more
years of life that I ask for him and for whom Yom Providence will rese1ve the happiness of which it " onld now
wish to put him in possession.m
The Divine l\Iaster was vanqnished by this onfidence
and promised to iestore health to the veuerable patient.
'r his promise was soon renl ized. The cure was remmIrnble
and all felt sure tlwt from thenceforward Fathe1 ~Iilieu's
devotedness wouhl ertnal hi:-; infl nence. :N ovember 30, 1634,
feast of St. Andrew the A postle, was a memorable day for
the pions Foundress.
From the dnwn of that day, the Inemna te \Y 01d caused
His graces to overflo~v in the soul of His dcar sponse. He
recalled to her how Abraham had hoped even against hope,
and hmv God, who gives life to the dead and calls him
who is nothing ont of his nothingness had made him according to His 'vorcl , the Father of a multitude. He nssured
her that if she ha(l confidence in His 1nomises, H wonld
gfre he1 a]so a numerons and blesscd progeny, that His
Providence woul<l precede he1, and that His me1cy would
follow her, all the days of he1 life. ""Keep thy spirit in
peace," He addcd, "'throngh ~Ie app1oa('h my Divine Father,
with the c01itidencc of a ehilcl. 'J:'his Father of mercies
Will behold thy vatience in the COll h-ndictions thon shalt
endure. Thy hope in Hirn slrnll not be coufounded. Ris
1Au to g r a phic L if e, c h . L XVI.

172

Lllq~

OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MNl'EL

charity will be poured into thee by the Holy Spirit takillg

np His abode in thy heart.m
'l'hese divi11e advances filled the heart of l\1other de
Matcl with consolation but gave her a presentiment of
trials. She was generons and confident and lovingly submitted to them. \Vith the Royal Prophet, she continued
to repeat: Paratmn cor m cu1n) D c ns) paratwn cor 11ieu111i.
" l\Iy heart is lWepared, 0 God, my heart is prepared." 2 Then
drawing courage from the example of the holy Apostle,
under whose patronage Providence had placed the important step which was to be taken on that day, she exclaimed:
" Saint .Andrew saluted the cross with such tender words
that they would sound tlattering, were they not addressed
to a gibbet, and if they did not corne from the abundance
of a heart which holy love filled with joy and dilated in
tribulation." 3
These sentiments of the great lover of the cross penetrated the soul of the pions l\iother and beamed on her
conntenance. 'rl1e J esuit, Father Balthasar de Villars, having corne to see her, said to her: 'l\fothr-r, how joyous you
appear today !" ''Father, it is God 'Yho is filliHg me with
joy while Father Milieu is presenting the Bull to His
Eminence from whom he will receive only a refusa!. If your
Heverence will wait here for half an hour, you will witness
the distress of the good Father who, .isheartened, will corne
to say to me, with his usual lrnmility and with a shrug of his
shoulders, that any one else would have had better success
and that His Eminence is unwilling to execute our Bull."
''And this is the reason why yon are glad ?" "Yes, Father,
for how can I be sorry when God has been preparing and
consoling me, sinee I awoke this morning !" 4
':L"'his conversation had not cndcd when the venerable
Father l\f ilieu arrivcd and verified her previsions in every
point. H ecding ouly her own exquisite delicacy of feeling,
she secmed to forget her trial and to be occupied only
with the regrets of the hol y religions, assuring him that
1 Autographi e
2P8. LVI.

3lbid e m .
.Jlbi<l e m.

Li f e, c h . LXVI.

OPPOSrt'ION o~~ l\IONSIG~OR DE RICIIELIEU

173

she and her danghters would ever be as grateful for his

undel'taking in presenting the Bull to the Archbishop, as
ihey wonld have been had this ~tep met with the success
which his zeal had inspire<l him to hope. "'l1he heart of
His Eminence i~ in the bands of God," she added, '""rho
will incline it as Ile pleases. Ilis holy will be done. The
honr for the establishment of the Ordel' of the Incarnate
ord is not yet come.m
After Mother de ~fatel had borne the brunt of this first
assault, Our Lord -did not abandon her who was suffering
for His sake. The next day, while assisting at Mass, she
saw the Roly Spirit under the form of a dove with extended
wings covering her bosom as with a shield. I t was the
visible image of the invisible but sensible protection with
which she was powerfully surrounded. And in the course of
that day, Father Gibaliu having sent her a few lines to
nscertain hmv she had received the Cardinal's refusa!, she
answered: "that her soul was in perfect peace, even as the
abode of Solomon, guarde<l by sixty forts of Israel; and
that neither Satan nor sadness had been permitted to
approach her with their darkness." 2
Towards evening, when she had gone to the chapel, she
sa.rs: ''He 'Yl10 is everywhere , b.r His immensity, came to
meet me and with such charity that I fell into an ecstasy
from the. delights with which He filled my soul which He
lunged into the torrents of His joys, and I heard the words:
Pmvus fans qui crevit in fluvill1n et in lucem solemque coner8us est) et in aquas plurimas refnndavit. (The little
fountain which grew into a river and was turned into a
light, and into the sun and abonnded into many waters." 3
He said to me: '"l\Iy well-beloved, thon art that little
fountain which shall become a great river and that light
which shall become a snn. 'rlrnt sun shall illumine l\Iy
Church, and that river of l\Iy graces shall fiow into it 'vith
an abundance of science and eloquence. 'l"'he Roly Spirit
hath placed Himself over thy heart, as a shield, to parry

"r

1A utographic Life , ch. LXVI.

2Ibidem.
3E~ th e r,

X , 6.

174

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

all the lows which th1ne enemies shall wish to strike thee.
In the slrndow of His 'Yins
l\lv
dauohter
re1"oice
in clinO'b
'
.r
b
'

b
ing to His goodness. My iight ha11d hath taken hold of
thee, to render thec insensible to all contrndictions. He
who slrnll tond1 thec, shall tonch the apple of l\Iine eye
Joviugly fixed n1JOn thee. My daughter: E cce c.r;o m ittam
in fundamcntfa Sion lapidcm, lapidcni probatum , angularem.
prrtioswn in fnndamcnto fundatum. Qui crcdidcrit. non
fc8tinct. "'Behold I will lay a stone in the foundation of
Sion, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, founded
in the fonndation. He that helieveth, let him not hasten.'' 1
She repl ied: '' l\Iy SaYior, i t pertains only to Y ou to lay
ihe fonndation of Yom Institute, since it will be founded
npon You 'Yho are the corner stone and the precions stone.
Since Your goodness has promised and sworn by Yonrself,
that Yon will establish Your Order, I believe that Yon will
accomplish it, and this is why I am not in a hurry." 2
It is on this divine corner stone that Mothe1 de Uatel
and her work will rely as their only support. Frequently
when God, throngh the bands of a woinan, wishes to iaise
in the Clrnrch a new standard of religions perfection, He
gives ber the 1woteetion and support of one of His most
illustrions servants. It is with the. co-operation of the
austere St. Jerome that St. Paula succeeds in forming
lH:r numerons comt for the divine King of Bethlehem. It
iR nnder the dhection of he1 b1othcr, St. Benedict, that
St. Scholastica lays the foundation of the Benedictine
.A hbeys \vhich were to be multiplied thronghont the 'yorld
and give so mauy saintly women to Heaven. It is by the
cxnmple and m1der the guidance of the seraphic Francis
of A~sisi, that St. Claie blazes the pnths -of the most
go:;.;pel -like povel'ty. In fine, foi we caimot cnmnerate them
all, it ]s from the a1dent sonl of St. Chantal and the gentle
genins of Rt. Flai1eis de Rales tltat tlw 01'<kr of the Yisita tion is horn.
l H ~lot h e1 de l\l a icl'N ease i t i ~ n ot tlurn. The h1 caru a te
W'"01'(l wts m1willing to share with m10ther the title of
llsaias. XXVIII . Hi.
21\utogrnplii c Life . ch . LXYf.

OPPOSI'l'lON OF' l\IONSIG~OR DE IUCHELIEU

Fouuder of His Order.

17f5

As in His temporal birth, He chose

to have no father from among men, and W'shed to owe

His life only to a vfrgiu; so He desired that there should
be no instrument of this second and mystic birth besides
the virgin whom He had favored by His grce and whm
He wished ever to cover with His special protection. ~rhus
Mother de ~Iatel always received only particular or temporal'y help from those who wel'e most clevoted to her. 'l'he
Incarnate 'Yord alone neYer failed ber. He refused her
the support of men, but did not spare her their contradictions of 'Yl1ich her life was one tissue. But He made her
finc1 snpereminently in Ilimself what she was deprived of
on the part of creatnres. "\Yhat passed in the solemu cfrcumstances which we have just related is a proof of this.
wr e have already obsel'ved it and we shall notice it again.
The reader may ask wha t motives inspired so pions
and charitable a prelate as Cardinal R.ichelieu with such
opposition to the work entrusted by Heaveu to l\Iother de
)fatel. -::'_~ot only had the conduct of the venerable Mother
and her daughters neYer merited the least blame, but the
perfmne of their virtues had spread abroad and permeated
the entfre_city. The lnunble Foundress in particular had
won at first sight the heart and confidence of all. She
"Tas the objeet of m1iversal veneration. 'l'he care inspired
by her maternai gooclness for the education of the children
confidecl to her, caused it to be said that nowhere were
yonng girl~ so well edncated as in the home of 1\Iother de
jf atel. Thus the pastoral solicitude of the Arch bishop had
nothing to fear from the Congregation. 'l111ence not motiYes of ~eal but reasons of human prudence hacl led him
to re~ol Ye not to erect the mon astery.
A m011g the personages of distinction who were most
h1te1e~tell in the fonnclation of the Order of the Incarnate
\Yonl, was ~fn<huue <1<' ncaurcganl, ne g1eanor de Coligny,
a 1clativc of Cal"<li11al Hichl 1i_n. Hc1 dcvotion to Our Lonl
:rn<l hcl' affeeti011 f01 ~Iothcr (le 31atel, had made her takc
the 1c~olutio11 of emlowing the mo11aste1y which was deRi1c<l at Ly011s. Rhe hatl wished to have her name appem
in the petitio11 ~eut io nome for the Bnll of erection and
1

176

LIU'E OL1, .JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

promised to gi ve twel ve thousand crowns toward the founda tion.

The zeal of this noble beuefactress was perhaps more
ardent tlrnn prudent. At the time she pledged herself to
give this suni, hel' finaucial affairs were much entangled,
yet she was full of hope for the future. All the Archbishop's persum;ions to make her abandon her plan, were
useless. But he was not a man to yield readily. In order
to frustrate the projects of l\fadame de. Beauregard, he resolved to refuse his anthorization for founding the monastery. If l\fother de l\fatel had been less tactful or humble,
she conld have tried to gain the good will of the Cardinal
by offering to bear alone the expense of the foundation,
since she knew that finally she wonld have to do so, as
the Incarnate \Yord had informed her that no means to
establish the Order would be forthcoming, except those
which He Himself wonld give for that pnrpose. She never
manifested to Madame de Beauregard that her zeal was
burdensome, nor offered to snbstitnte herself for that lady
as Fonndress of the tempo1alities of the monastery.
However, this reason was not the only cause of l\fonsignor Alphonse de Richelien,s opposition. He had a special interest in the couvent of the Ursulines of Lyons, in
which several of his relatives, among others the claughter
of l\fadame de Beauregard, had taken the veil. A lady
of high rank, who in this sharcd the sentiments of her
.Archbishop, represented to him, in and ont of season, the
ha nn wh ich the Congregation of the Incarna te l\'Vord was
doing to that establishment, by the nnmber of children
of the hest families whom l\fother de l\fatel was cdncating
and by the incrcasc of disti11guiNhed su bjects whom she
was reeci ving. 'rhe Cardinal was uot i11sensible to these
gTieVHHCe~. TJe dt}~fred th:, instead of attempting to institutc nn Onle1, whose uame and habit seemerl to him so
~iHgulm, l\lother <le l\latcl woul<l consccl'ate herself to God
in the c011vc11t of the lfrsulines. It would have been a
joy to him to sec thcrn acquire a snbject of snch grcat
mc1it. He, thc1efo1e, showc himself inexorable ngainst

OPPOSlTIO:\T OF MONSIG:\'OR DE RICHELIEU

177

ber "\York, although he had great esteem for her personally~

as we know from nwny proofs.
As to the venerable l\Iother who was so often called
the Dovc without gall, the~e things were all supernaturalized in ber heart by divine charity, and transformed into
the "\vill of God by sentiments of religions love and filialsubmission towards the prelnte who was wounding ber
soul with the rnost painful S"\vord with which it coulcl be
transpierced. She fervently recommended him to God in
her prayers, and interestecl herself in everything that concernecl him. SeYeral times Our Lord responded to this
generous intercession by reyealing to her secret and prophetir tliings concer11iug l\fonsignor Alphonse de Richelieu
and his brother, the Cardinal Minister.
This became known or perlwps was only surmised. The
Jwbitual Iiberalities of Jesus towards His devoted servant
could have caused it to be suspected. The Archbishop
of Lyons showed himself desirous of knowing what the
Incarnate 'Yord had manifested regarding himself. On one
occasiou, among other things, he interrogated Mother de
l\fatel on this subject. She hesitated to answer, as for
the present she had nothing consoling to tell liim. '"What,
my daughter," he said to her in Latin, as he knew she
understood that langnage, '"is there no longer any oracle
in J erusalem ?" She S})Oke, telling him that the Divine
~faster was not pleased with his resistance to the execution of His designs, and tlrnt He would b~ afflicted with
dropsy frorn which, after g1eat suffering, he w~uld succumh. The Cardinal was not vexed at the frankness which
he had exacted; his was a stern charader and the pre <liction seemed not to worry him. However, the future
Yel'ified the oracle of the Inearnate "rord.
In 1G3J, Fa ther Carr, Sn perior of the Dom in ican
~ oYitiate at Paris, who, as may be recallecl, had personally
experienced the effect of the p1ayers and predictions of
~lother de Mate1, begged her in a secret missive, to interccde with specia1 ardor for " I-Iis ducal Eminence and to

rep01t to Father Carr what Our Lorcl would make knowu

to her.m
Hichelieu was on the point of making France intervene
in the ':rhirty Years \Yar. W'"as it he himself. "'\Yho, at the
moment of making the grave decision tlrnt aronsed so much
hlnme. lrncl procnred this secret consultation of the con1idante of the Incarnate \\Tord'? It was not imvo~sible.
His dealings with his brother, the Archbishop o_f Ly01rn.
show that Mother cle ~Iatel was not nnknown to him. and
that he steemed he1 becanse of her lights and virtnes.
The reqnest of Fathe1 Carr at first caused some emhanassment to the good )Jother. For many years she had
bee11 praying for the Cardinal Jiinister, but had never
asl~ed Almighty Gocl to make known to her anything regaiding him. 1t \Yas not her habit to question Onr L01d
throngh curiosity. She says humbly: ""\Yhen Yon please
Yon teach me wbat You want me to know.n 2 On this occasion. her sulm1issiveness makes ber lny asicle he1 habitnal
1eserve. \Yi th a ll the cm1clor of her faith she alleges to
Our Lord that whereas Father Cnrr has been ber confes~m, she cornes in obeclience to him to learn wlrnt arnnver
to give hirn. rrhe good :Mastel' acce1)t~ her discrect and
simple pnlyer. He shmvs her a verdant, bndding rocl and
says io hc>1: ~Iy clanghter. it is I 'Yho have chosen Car<1inal Hiehelien to lend France and to cause the astonishment of all Europe. \Yith the rod \Yhich yon see, he
will 1<.l:-H1 the people. T wi1l manifc>st My power in the
arrnie~ which
will direct. As I confoundecl the counscl:--;
of . .A<llifophel. . f hwe confonnrled and slrnll confonnd the
1onn~c]i-; ngni11~t Hid1elien.
He shnll pa~f' throngh the He<l
Ren of confrnclictiorn~ of nw11 and demon~, T Rlrnll show
that )fy 1i;ht lrn11d works thr011gh him more tlrnn th1ongh
nie 01'<1 iwny :rn <1 cxt in or<l irnuy p1m1cn('C of a Ill ll i ~ter of
8i:li e.''
011<> of the 11101< I'<'<'PM hiN(o1i;tn:--; of' l\fothe1 <1e l\latel
jn<licio11~ly ;1:--;kN witli n~g-m'(1 to thi:-; :tffai1:
"111 this com 1111111i<ntLoll frorn on high, we1e thc1e m1.r w<ml~ of hlmnc'?

lie

1.\ utogTaphi c Life, C'h. LXV.

~lfi id Pm.

OPPOSITION OF l\IONSIG~OR DE RICHELIEU

179

'tihe1e is noihing that prevents us from snpposiug it.

But
there is 110 proof tlrnt the Fournlress was charged to transmit
them. She _was not obliged to diynlge them iu a document
destined to pnss nuder the eyes of the brother of the allpowerful minister." . . \ml if the letter addressed to Father
Carr contained re,relations of this nature, they are not mentioned in the documents "Thich are in our possession.
\Yhile ~lother de )la tel was shoydng such interest before God in the welfare of the two illustriou_s brothers.
seyeral persons of distinction, stimulated by their devotion to her and her mission, were i1Ieading her cause before the Cardinal of Lyons; without being commissioned
by her for this purpose. The Count d 'Eveine, the Provost
of the )lerchants. ~fr. de Pure and, eYen the Aldermen, were
making efforts to obtain the consent of the prelate, but
without success. Finally, the whole dty arose. 'rl1e Yeneration for Mother de ~Iatel and interest in ber 'york \Yere
so great in Lyons, that the inhabitants of that city resoh"ed
to make a eollectiYe effort to indnee the Cardinal to execute
the Bull which would erect the Congregation of the Incarnate \Y'" ord into a religions Order. A petition, whose length
obliges us to refer it to the appendix and whieh does as
much honor to the zeal of those who formulated it as to
the virtues of those in whose fm'"or it 'Yas made, ,yas presentecl to the Cnrdinal. 1 It rendered homage to the piety
~nd good deeds of the i1relate and conjured him to add
to these the favor which was so g1eatly desired. It overthrew mgnments which could be clrawn from the newness
of the Institnte or from the great number of those "Thich
already existecl. Finally, it emphasized the ad,Tantages
which tlie city boped to clerive from this establishment
and frorn the merit of the Foundress. Bnt all these efforts
were fruitless. ~rhe unanimous prayer of his people. whom
he cleeply loYed, hacl no effect on the Archbishop 's decision.
He merely replied: '"No Incarnate \\"ord for me. Let no
one talk to me about it. " 2
1 See

this petition. Pices justificatives, Note B.

20riginal manuscripts of the foundation of the Order of the Incarnate
\Vorc1 .

180

LIFE Oij' JE.ANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

The news of these attempts and of their resul ts must

have bcen ve1y bitter for l\fother de l\Iatel ! And, yet, in
the delicacy and hurnility of her saintly heart, she felt
more pain, as she a vows, from the importunings which her
Prelate had to undergo ou ber aecount, than from his
refusals. But He, fQr 'Vlwm she W'"as snffeiing, took care
to console her. ''From the feast of St. Andrew, 1634," she
says, "up to the Lent of 1635, Your liberalities to me seemed
to have changed their name: they were excesses.m
These aids from the Charity of her good l\faster, were
given to prepare her for the painful trial which she was
again to experience from the band of her Archbishop. This
hand, which she venerated even when it was piercing anew
the wonnd it had caused her, was on the point of striking
a most painful blow. Cardinal Alphonse de Richelieu was
sent by the King, on an important mission to the Roly
See, and left for Rome in the spring of 1635. Before leaving Lyons, he conferred wi th his Vicar General on the
intere~ts of each one of the Comnrnnities of his diocese and
commended them to his care. But when the Vicar General
mentioned to him the Congregation of the Incarnate Word
he replied sharply: "'l"'hey are no daughters of mine. I
shall inform myself at Rome of the way in which their Bull
was obtained.m
. Wh en these words came to the know ledge of the poor
J\Jother, she was broken-hearted. At that moment she recalled the maledictions which fell from the pen of the
prophet Osee, and she said: ""Dear Lord, are You not applying to me the words: roca cam absquc 1niscricordia.
Call her without mercy: and to all of Yonr daughters:
Non zwpnlns meus: Yon are not l\fy people." 3 It was certainly nothiug of the kind. Sorrow alone could cause such
1.A utographi c Life , c h . LXVII.

2Ibid e m .
In f:l c t, th e first care
t o g0 t information on this
t h e B ull of e r ec tion tak e n
a uth enti c ity of th e Bull of
fo r th e c onvent of Lyons.
1G35.
aOsce, l , 6, 9.

of the Prelate after arriving at Rome, was

affair. \Ve hav e b e for e us the Extra.et from
from th e Roman Arc hiv e s, and d e claring the
crection of th e Ordcr of th e Incarnate \Vord
This important document is dated April 24,

OPPOSITIO~ Oli' l'.l~SIGXOH DE IUCHELIEU

181

a fear to peneate that heart wbich was so tenderly loved

by Jesus.
He, the1cfore, hastened to ieply : Ego s wn Pa star bonus:
cognosco oves meas et cgnoscunt me nieac. Sicut 11ovit
me Pater et e.qo agJzosco Patrcm) et animam me(l}n pono
pro oribus meis. 'I am the Good Shepherd: I know My
sheep a11d ~line know Me. As My Father knoweth Me I
also know l\Iy Father. I lay down My life for ~Iy sheep.m
'J'he Shepherd of shepherds was the only and infinitely Good
Shepherd of His little flock. He knew His sheep and He
loved them enough to lay down His life for them. \Yhat
should they fear?
This assurance was timely. The Cardinal \vas not three
lcagues from Lyons before the ne"'S of his sentiments towards the infant community was known throughout the
.eity, and parents of young women who were preparing to
receive the habit of the Incarnate \\Tord, despairing that
this favor would ever be granted them, came to demand
back their daughters, in order to place them in other monasteries. Several allowed themselves to be persnaded to
leave the Congregation. Indeed some who had no parents
to shake them in their vocation, took this resolution themselves.
The contagion of discouragement would now infect all
the souls of ber Congregation and annihilate ber 'vork.
\Yhat can the Foundress do? Ought she reanimate confidence in the divine promises made in favor of that Order
or should she yield to the storm? ~lother de Ma tel never
took counsel from the promptings of her own spfrit. She
always sought God's will only, to ful:fill it afte1~wards at
the price of any sacrifie@. Thus God permitted Himself
to be found by this upright soul and responded to all ber
questionings with snch clearness that afterwards she fondly
called Him ber Divine Oracle. She, therefore, had recourse
to prayer.
\Yhile in prayer, Our Lord said to her: "My daughter.
be not afflicted by the Joss of those of thy danghters who
will abandon thee. The dragon must take a'vay from thee
1.Tohn, X, 14, 15.

182

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

oue-thfrd, as fo1mel'ly he caused une-third of the stars to

fall from Heaven. rrhose whom he will draw away, "~ould
be cornets of woe in My Order rather than stms. They
an~ the ones whorn thon hast desiguated to Father Gibalin
ns not being ~mited for 1\Iy Order. rrake no action. Conibute in no way .to their depal'tnre and thon shalt see
nll things come to pass as I have told thee.m
'Yith such pI'ecise data, the good l\Iother could appreciate_, at their value, both the exteut of her own sacrifices
:tnd the mel'cy which regulated their object. She could
only bow clown in loviug submission. IIowever, she allowed
herself to ask a fa Yor for one of her danghters, in whom
she had observed ene1gy in striving for the acquisition
of virtne~ in whidt she was deficient. "Dear Lord," she
~mid, '"l have inomised not to sentl her away and she has
courage 1o tend to pel'fection." IIer adorable l\Iaster with
tonching condescension ieplied: ""\Vhat thon sayest is
ue, but she won1d cause thee mmoyances which thon
couldst not snffer. 1-"'hon shalt not send her away, but I
)[yself will take her away, and in the place where she shall
be, she will suffer so that she may acqnfre humility. '~
'l"'he future vel'ified wi th exactuess all these wonls of
the Divine Oracle. Ont of the thfrty subjeds whom the
Congregation conuted on the departure of the Archbishop,
there soon remained ouly twenty. Following the example
of the Inc.anrnte \V 01d, \Vho, after the defections at Capharnanm, said to the Apostles: NunHJnicl et vos v_ nltis abi1'c?
.. no you, a lf-;o, wiRh to go away from l\Ie '?" 3 the worthy
Fonnd1ess <lf-;Sembled the li ttle fiock whkh remained with
her aml addressed thern iu iJiese terms: My dear danghters and Sisters, yon have seen how the Cardinal on his
depal'tnre foi Ilorn<' did not 1norn i~e to make us religions.
1
lmt Raid to the ..:\nhde~1eo11 that he wished to find out how
0111 Hull was ohtained.
rrhis docs not signify that on
hif-; 1etm11 lie will or will not make ns religions. I recomrnend now, <lR 1 haYe nlways done, thnt you pray for him.
II is jonrney lrn~ been a speeinl providence for the Order.
2

l .:\utograpllic Lifc, ch. LXVII.

2fbi(l e m.
::i .Tolm, VI, GS.

OPPOSI'l'ION OF 1\IONSIGNOR DE UICHELIEU

18;3

Our I.. ord has made use of it to give to those whom Ile
does not wish to belong io it, an apparent and just pretext of withdrawing, so as to spare me the pain which
they wonld have caused me. I have nothing to say of
thern, except that the.r we1e not destiued for this Orcler.
If other monasteries are "~i lling to receive you, I will not
take it ill, and I will testify to the satisfadion which you
have giveu by your concluct and your efforts to arrive at
pel'fection. If the exertions of yonr parents to lu.1ve .ron
received el~ewhere, are unsuccessful, and yon desire to
remain in the Cong1egation, I will keep yon and will not
n ban don yon. " 1
'l1he veuerable Sister Elizabeth Grassetean then tluew
he1self at the feet of ~Iother de l\Iatel, and, like anotlle1
St. Peter, snid to her: ""Denr Mother, to whom shall we
. go'? I who have left all to follow yon, have no thonght
of aband9ni11g yon. I won hl die of sorrow, if I were to
be separated from you. ' '~ All the others likewise fell at
her feet and protested thnt they would n ever ha ve any
one else for tlwi1 ~Iother, promising to 1espond to her
ma ternnl gooclness, by their en tire submission and devoted:ness.

'l1he tender and finn charity of the Foundress hnd thus

put an end to all hesitation and eleared the horizon of the
last clolHls which wonld have hindered it from being distinctly outlined. Like lier J>ivine ::\Iaster, she lrnd the con~olntion of b~ing able to say:
""l have not lo~t any one
of those whom Yon gaye me.'' AU those to whom He had
p1orniscd to grnnt the g1ace of perseverance, showe<l themselves faithful. He1 beart wns dilated with joy arn1 gratitude. She said: How contented m.r spirit felt at seeing
tlrnt those ,~dwm Yon chose, we1e iesol ved to follow Yon
nn d to Ion one nnothe1 ns they do in Yom love. " 3
Fa th e1 i i lm 1i11 \YHS stnH' k lJy the ma themn tic al pre<'si 011 wi1h whi<'h was ''el'fied the word of Our Lonl gfren
io )fo1he1 <l< JlatPL thnt mH -1hiltl of hel' daughters w ould
HhalldOll he1, <lll<l hc gladJy <titeF'lC<l io the ledo11hli11g Of
1

J ..:\ utographic
~ 1hid em.

Jlhidem ,

Life, ch, LXVII.

184

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

fervor and increase in love for their vocation produced

by the trial which they had undergone, in those who had
remained faithful. In order to reap the full fruit of these
dispositions he gave the comrnunity the spiritual exercises
of a retreat. During these days of benediction, grace supera bounded in all their souls. Some received such spe.cial
lights on the favor done them by the Incarnate 'Vord in
making tbem the foundation stones of His holy Order,
that, to testify their gratitude to Him and to defend themselves against any thought of ever being unfaithful, they
begged Father Gibalin's permission to make the vow of
perpetual chastity and another vow to live and die in
the Congregation, in the pursuit of the establishment of
the Order of the Incarnate Word.
Sorne time afterwards, on the feast of the Ascension,
Fathcr Gibalin made known to Mother de l\1atel these promises of her daughters, and advised her also to make them.
From her tender childhood she had made the vciw of perpetal chastity, and Our Lord had given her such lights
nnd graces to show her His will that she should labor
for the foundation of this Order, that she considered it
would be a sin against the Roly Ghost if she resisted.
She did not see how she could make a vow to do something to which she felt so strongly bound, and she desrecl
to consult her dear daughter, Elizabeth Grasse.teau, on the
subject.
~rhe venerable Sister had uot had the remotest idea
of such a vow. "Dear l\fother," she said, "I have such a
strong resolve never to leave either the Congregation or
your company that there is no nee for me to take the
vow of presevc1ance.m 'rhey both agreed to pray fervently
mHl asked Father Gilrnlin to celebrate several l\Iasses that
the will of God might be manifest in this matter.
011 th e fca:-;t of Col'pns Christi, Onr Lord te8tified to
~Ioth e r de l\f atCll that it would be agreeable to Him if
sh c mae thi:-; vow. Shc ~o i1tfonncd Father Gibalin, and
in eoncc1t with him decide that on the octave of that
f'east, ~h c and her daughtcrs should make solemnly to the
1Au togra phi c Life , c h . L XVII.

OPPOSITIOX OF ~IOXSIGXOU DE RICHELIE U

185

Tncarnate \\.,. ord the offering which He desired frorn them.

The interyening time \Yas consecrated to exercises of fer\ent preparation-silence, profound recollection, prolonged
meclitations, penances, public and prfrate acts of humi1ity.
Finally_. on Thursclay, June 14, 1633. the octaYe of
Corpus Christi, the Divine ~Iaster reaped the first fruits
of this new har\est of sal,ation and grace \Yith which His
dfrine charity wished the ever fertile field of our Holy
)lother the Church to be enriched. Father Gibalin celebrated Holy )Iass in the chapel of the Congregation. At
the moment of the Communion, he adYanced to the choir
grille, haYing the ciborium in his hand_, while the pious
Foundress, holding a lighted candle~ knelt at the communion rail and, in a loud \Oice, read the follmdng formula
which she had written with her blood:
")Iost august and most adorable Trinity, Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost, I, Jeanne de )Iatel, although the least
of Your ser\ants and the most unworthy of Your creatures,
confiding in Y our diYine Goodness urged by the desire of
ser\ing You and by a special loYe for the most adorable Person of the Incarnate \Yorcl, J esus Christ, and the mysteries
which He wrought for our Redemption, and wishing to
recognize the affectionate love that Ieads Him to dwell
amongst us in the Blessed Eucharist, as also to honor the
Jmmaculate Conception of the glorious Yirgh1 , His )Iother,
and desiring to contribute according to my weakness to
the glory of His Holy X ame do Yow to Y our Dfrine )Iajesty,
in the presence of the same glorious Yirgin, of her dear
Rpouse, St. Joseph, and of the whole heayenly court, perpetual chastity, to liYe and die in the holy Congregation of the
Incmnate \\. . ord, ne,er to abandon t he pu r pose, inspired by
Him, of establishing this Congregation as a religions Order,
in which the Incarnate \\. . ord may be perpetually and specially serYed and aclored. I , therefore , conjure Your gooclness, by the bonds of Your infinite charity, by the merits
and blood of the Incarna te \Yord, J esus Christ, by the
powerful intercession of His Immaculate )Iother and of
Hi8 beloved Foster-fath er, t o a ccept the sacrifice whi ch

186

""

\,'

11

LIFl.J OF .JEANNE CHEZAnD DE l\IATEL

\~ ~I

I1' n cs irnilP of tll e For mula of Yows wllich Mother cle Matel wrote
a !Hl s igne<l with ller own f)Jood .

OP POSI'J'ION OF' :\IONSIGNOR DE RICHELIEU

187

T make of my body and my liberty, as an odor of sweetness,

and to grant me abundant grace to accomplish it. Amen.
JEANNE DE MATEL.''

After ' Uother de Ma tel had thus solemnly consecrated

herself to the Incarnate \Vord and to the mission which
He had confidecl to her, He gave Hirnself to her in Holy
Comrnnion. Nine of her daughters made similar engagements in the same terms, "hich the majority had also
written in their own blood. \Vithout the vows which would
make them religions of the Incarnate JYord and without
the consolation which had been refused to them, this was
the most irrevocable donation of their souls - which they
could make to the divine Sponse and to the blessed work
in which they lrnd been permitted to co-operate.
'fhis first and solemn consecration to the Incarnate
'Vord, was the strong and proli:fic root of His Order. \Vhat
would, at first sight, seem only a weapon for a special
occasion, a means of rendering invincible the first clanghters of the Incarnate \Yord, in the midst of the assaultR
made on their pr~severance, was, in the plan of that divine
Dispenser of gr-aces, the inviolable seal which Re wished
to place on th e fnvor with 'vhieh He wonld regard the souls
whom He would call to His Order. This engagement of
liYing and dying in the Order has been petpetna ted by
a vow 'vhich each professed adds to the three vows of religion, and which places ber in the impossibility of ever
exchanging the priceleRs pearl accorded her for what she
might be}jeve a greater good. 'fhe terins in which the
pions Founclress and her first companions offored them~ehes to the Incarnate \Y 01d, have remained, with the
addition of wlwt concerns tlie vow~ and their va1idity, the
sfred fol'llrnla by wh ich the religions of Hil-i Order con ~e<.Tn te thc.lrn~elns to Tlirn in thcir profeRRiou.
~Io1eover,
ilH <hly of the oci-:t\'l' of' CoqmR Cl1ri:di ha~ heen ehosen
f'm on C' of Ut0 i wu ~o 1em11 i(110va ti 011 ~ w11 ie h tnkP p 1n<'P
i11 the h1~tii11ie en:1y yenr.
\ Tc11e1a1J]e ~iste1 Cathe1iue Flcul'i11 1tad 1Jeeu i11fmme<.l
of the great act which the Sisters of the Cougregation

188

LIFID OF JEANNE C'HEZARD DE l\1Arl'EL

were preparing to make, and she received its formula at

Paris. Thence on June 14, she was able to pronounce
it in the church of the Fathers of the Society of J esus,
and, by the oblation of herself to the Incarnate , 'Vord, to
join those whom distance so painfully separated.
'fhree month~ later, Mother Margaret Gibalin also took
the same engagements. Before taking this important_ step,
she had had to walk painfnlly in the rough road of tribul ations. She had just completed a secon~ triennial as Superioress, during which time the hardest trials had given to
her devotedness an occasion to manifest all her resourcefulness and heroism. Four of her Sisters had been attacked by a pernicious fever which had become prevalent
in the town. She had jsolated them from the community
and shut herself up with them in order, at the risk of her
life, to lavish on them the cares required by their condition. God had blessed her charity. Health had been restored to all those to whom she had devoted herself. She
had been preserved from the malady, although its poison
was so virulent that from having touched those who were
infected, her finger nails had fallen off.
Soon the epidemic became wholly pestilential. The
Bjshop ordered all the Sisters to leave the town, and the
Superioress had the whole community on her hands. She
obtained her father's permission to install them in his castle
of Yillars. During their refuge there, a great fire broke
out in the town of Malzieu and in a few hours had destroyed
eight hundred homes, and burned down their convent with
the exception of the chapel, the preservation of which was
cousidered miraculous. At the moment of the disaster,
the Su perioress did not own ten crowns. However, after
having earnestly prayed. and having placed her trust in
Providence, she set abont rebnilding the ruins. She devel~
oped snch energy, devotedness, and efficiency that, eleven
months af'terwmd~, i he con vent was reconstructed and soon
all expenscs were paid . A f thi~ pe1iod her tenn of office
expired. She ardently desired to be freed from the burden, bnt the religion~, le~~ disposed than ever to yield to
her de~il'es, re-eleded hcr for three more year~.

OPPOSlTIO~ OF :.\IOXSIGXOR DE RICHELIEU

189

The Bishop of )fende, feeliug h nrt because )fother Margaret "-as unwilling to renounce ber purpose of entering
the Order of the Incarnate \Yord. and because the community refnsed to aggregate a gronp of rrsulines of SaintChamond which the Archbishop of Lyons des-ed to place
in bis diocese. sent a Franl'iscan Father to )lalzieu to depose its Superioress. ~o far as )Jother Gibalin was concerned, tbere was nothing easier. This " -as in harmony
with ber mn1 desires. But on the part of the community.
the case "\Yas far different. They had legitimately elected
a Superioress who was the most capable of all the Sisters,
and they refnsed to replace ber. Ho,YeYer, the V"enerable
)Iother thrmYing herself on ber knees before ber daughters,
finally, by her earne~t supplications. preYailed on them to
submit.
A11 this happened in the spring of 1635. Sorne months
afterwards. )fonsignor de )larcillac himself, came to
)falzieu to enforce his projects. But the Sisters were so
far from beino willinff to aoo'l'eO'ate
other relioious to their
b
mYn community that they cleclared they had the intention
of entering the Order of the Inearnate yrord as soon a~
it wonld be established and that they had already offered
their bouse to the Foundress so as to erect a monastery.
This offer raisecl the dissatisfaction of the Bishop to
the highest pitch. He protested that not only ,yould he
neYer permit this establishment, but that be wonld infiict
seYere punishments upon those who would perseYere in
this design. Thinking that )lother Gibalin, although no
longer the Snperioress. might yet baye po"-er to influence
the other~. he conclemned her to be confined in a room for
eight clays and to fast on bread and water. This humble
and 'Yorthy religions threw herself at the prelate's feet
saying that she accepted all the penances 'Yhich he wished
to impose upon her. but that she implored him to permit
her to follmY her yoeation which "-as to h0 a dnnghtc~r of
the Tnearnate \\~ord .
The news of these pai11ful eyents haYing reached Father
GibaJin. he nrged his niece to corne to L~- ons immecliately.
in onler to receiYe aclrice a ou t fe final steps she onght
~

~~

J!)

LlF'~

OF JEA\.NNE CHEZAilD DE

~IA'l'EL

to take. She "'ent there in September, 1G35, with her dear

~d~te1, Helen Gibalin, for whom, by her prayer~, she had
obtained the religions vocation, and who, after having made
simple vmys in the ronvent of the Ursulines of l\folzieu,
desired, l ike her elder sister, to consecrate herself solemnly
to the Inenrnnte 'Yord, hy entering His holy Orde1. She
\Yas a chosen sonl whose berrnty \Yas reflected by an exterior full of grace and digni ty. She was destined to render
the future Institnte important services of which the greatest. a-fter her example of heroic virtnes, was the foundation of the monastery
. of Lvons
. .
Hitherto l\fother de "Ma tel ha<l Leen acquainted with
these two eminent religions only by report and by what
lrnd bee11 s11pernntmally 1eyealed to lier.
She alreacly
had a high idea of their nwrit, but \Yhen she sa\Y them
and was able to appreeiate the gifts of nature and grace
with which Our Lord had so l'ichly endowed them, her
esteem and affection were nnlimitecl. ln orcler thnt nothing might e:rnse her to lose snch freasrnes. she proposed
to them to hiud thernselYes to the Ordp1 of the Incarnate
W'o1d hy the nnY io live a11d die in the imrsnit of its
establishment. rrhe two sisters heartily aecepted this proposal.
T'heil veneration for the wodhy Fonrnlress and
their loye for her work had g1e:tt-1y i11crem~ed after they
had ~eeu, fm themNelveR, the virtnes of the ~Iother and
he1 danghters. To iender their engngement the more sacred,
they signed it with their blood, mlCl after fifiecn bli~sfnl
day~ they retnrned to l\Ialzien.
~I ueh opposition was still a wli ti ng tht~m.
rrhe B iNhop
of :\Iende was less disposed tltan e\'e1 to pe1mit the dcpmtme of ~fothe1 ~Imgmct. lfo hnd sePn, with his mv11
p_reN, the 110bilHy of l1e1 chna<''I' :nHl thP heroism of her
\' l'ln<>. A\t nll <"oNiN he wiNhP<l i<.> ke<>p, 1'01 liiN ow11 <liocP~<\
NO ntl11:1hl< ~ :t Ntlhjt<L li N NPY(~l'P il"PltllH'ld 1101 h:tvi11g
~111<<<cle<1 in NhHkin: h<~1 l'PNol11tio11, lie t1ipd io Will hp1
hy g<1itl<'ll<'NN :111<1 lH'l"Nll:tNOll. \\'jj]1 tliiN :1in1 li<~ <l<put-c<l
roi tlie ('()ll\'Pllt of' t r1s1tli11PN, :l1loll1< l' F1:111<i:w:tll l 0 Plig-iou~.
wlio:--:<~ 111NN011 Wts the cont1<t1y of' th: of' hiN preyions
dcl<-;1 le. TJ1c estccrn whid1 lier Bishop had couccived for
1

OPPOSITIO~ OF ~IO~SIG~On DE nICHELmr

101

hp1. hi:) intense clesire to keep her in his diocese. the conn:>nf!" ne-e(l of her Jm?!"ence "ere f'C'i forth hy him io 1fother.

Uibalin in a 11w11ner "bich wns rnost <:>loq11e11t nrn1 mosi

appropr:lte to misleacl her. if such a thing '"e1e 110:-.:sihle.
Bnt the motiYes "\d1kh led ber to emlnnce thl' Orcler of
tbe Inca 1'11 a te "\Yord. we1e aboYe hmnan con si de1a tions.
and the i11te1 ests of self-loYe. ~Hl these ieasous did not
shake her resolYe to respond to Gocl's designs on her: so
the Bishop's enyoy went away conYinced that nothing "ould
e,er make her renounce them.
~r onsignor de :Jiareillac sa" himse 1f~ face to face. "\Yth
a manifest cli\ine Yocation, and he clid not wish to oppose
it any longer. He consented for Jlother Gibalin and three
other religions of Jlalzieu to clepart for Lyons. on condition that the dO"\Yries which they had bronght to the con)ent of the rrsnlines shonld remain as the property of
that house.
For tlle delicaey of Jlothe1 Jlargaret this clause was
a :-:e,ere tri al. Ho" could four religions become a bnrden
to ~Iother de ~la tel "\Yithout any compensation'? Even
though the goodness of that Jlother would not allmY her
to consider the question of the p1opriet~ of snch a procednre. wonld her menns jnstify her generosity '? \Yould
not this difficnlty render futile the \ictories "\YOn ff\er so
many other obstacles'? The Foundress, when informed of this
miscalculation. settled the affair after the manner of a
saint. "The Incarnate \Yord!' she replied, '\\~ho snstains
the world with three fingers. will knffw how to proYide for
the needs of four women. Come, therefore, 'Yithout fear
and as soon as possible. ~'
Towards the end of X oYember these heroic loyers of
the Incarnate \Yord. thinki ng only of tearing themsel Yes
a "ay frorn the final entanglements by whieh parent~.
friends, ecclesiasties, ancl religions Yied with 011e another
in attempting to impede them, left the fe1Tent mo1rnstery
where their days "\Yonld haYe glicled by in pence and secnrit.'~ to g:o forth to face the toils and trials of the fonncla1

1..\nnals of the F'oundation

(Original ::\1 anuscript).

of

the

Orcler of

the Incarnat e \Yord

192

LIFg

01;~

JFUNNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

tion of an Order which, up to that time, had been involved

in difficulties.
nuring their jonrney their courage was severely tried
by storms, angnish, and accidents. They snffered in every
possible wa:y. l\Iother Margaret snffered most of any.
'Vhilc sorrowfnl apprehensions were afflicting her soul,
a fall from a horse came near costing ber life. Then, the
Incarnate 'Vord, showing Himself to her under the form
of a child of ravishing beauty, said to her as He bad formerly said to His Apostle: "I will make thee see how much
I wish thee to suffer for the glory of :My N ame." He left
her filled with a celestial happiness which made her forget all her fatigues.
Finally, on Deccmber 4, 1635, they found themselves
in the bosom of that f amily of the Incarnate 'Vord of
which they had longed to form a part and where all were
so happy to welcome tbem. The merit of these four subjects was as great as their vocation was extraordinary. 'Ve
are already acquainted with l\fother Margaret and Helen
Gibalin. 'reresa Giballn, their cousin, and Mary Malacher
also possessed emineut qualities and were destined to render
great services to the nascent Order.
After making so many sacrifices and passing through
so many dangers, the new-comers relished the delights of
peace and consolation, in the haven which had been the
object of all their prayers. The sweets of this repose
were not to be of long duration. The more a soul is predestined to become conformed to .J esns Christ, the more
it must suffer.
'rhe daughte1s of l\Iother de l\fatel, bcing called to become living models of their adorable Master, they might
expect that the chisel of sorrow wonld fashion them by
long and rigorons labor. l\fother Margaret Gibalin, of
whom the divine Ai-tist was to make one of His most beautifnl masterpieces, was to receive the most painful blows.
At that time, the foundation at Paris seemed to be
progressing favorably.
'Vhen good l\fothcr Catherine
Fleurin lcanwd of the alTival of the four Ursulines at

Lyo11s, she wrote Icttcr after letter imploring that Sister

OPPOSITIOX OF :\IOXSIGXOR DE nICIIELIEU

1!)3

.Margmet Gibalin might be sent to her as soon -as possible,

and assu1ing all that with the co-ope1atio11 of a person
of such ability the affair would soon be brought to a snccessful issue.
I t was impossible to recoil from a sacrifice on which
depended so desirable a result. In spite of its painfulness,
l\lother de :Jiatel decided upon it. As for Sister l\largaret
Gibalin, neither her virtue nor her love for the Orcler permitted her to refuse, although she keenly felt it as a hardship and had a presentiment of all that it would cost her.
But the will of her whom the Incarnate \Yord had given
her as l\f other, was, for her, the most certain expression
of God's will, and she. tried to be reconciled. To render
her su bmission easier, on J anuary 25, 1636, the feast of the
Conversion of St. Paul, at the moment of Roly Communion,
as she was offering herself to be immolated to His W'"ishes
and to be sacrificed for the welfare of the Ortler, God the
Father showed Himself to her and, taking her in His arms,
placed her, as a victim, in the lap of the Mother Fonndress,
to know and accomplish through her all that He would
wish.
The departure was decided, and on the fifth day of
February, only two months after their arrival in the Congregation, Sister l\largaret Gibalin and Sister Mary
Malacher left for Paris. :Nearly four years of trials mYaited
them there amid disappointed bopes, sickness, and humiliations. As usual, grace \Yas in proportion to the cross. All
Heaven seemed interested in that establishment which earth
combated. St. l\lichael, St. Peter, St. Francis de Sales came,
each in turn, to assure of their protection those who were
toiling for this work. But none were so tender and compassionate as J esus and His holy ~lother. This charitable
SaYior said one day to ~lother :.'\largaret, who had corne
crushed with grief, to pour out her heart to Him. "I would
wish to console thee, but My Father is not willing.m The
Eternal Father, Author of every perfect gift, viewed, with
too much joy, the hand of pain forming, in these choice
1Biography of l\lothe r l\Jargar e t Gibalin .

lD

Llli'E Oli' .JE.\NNE CHEZAim DE l\IA'rEL

Ro11ls, the image of His belovecl Son, to permit its operatioll to be iuteITupted.

'Vhile the seed, sown at Paris by the Foundress and

cultivated by her clanghters, was passing through the period
of annihilation which prececles, more or less profounclly,
all germination, according as the harvest is to be more
or Jess excellent, the founclation at Lyons was doomed
io clevelop slowly.
After Cardinal Alphonse Richelieu's return from Rome,
l~ather Gibalin, withont notifying any one, visited him
with the intention of learning how the Prelate was disposed
towmds the daughters of the Incarnate \Vord, and to solicit
the execution of their Bull. This visit took place on Decemhe1 20, 1636, at eight o'clock in the morning. On the same
clay and at the same hom, Mother de Matel, who had been
Rnffering all the previous night, having retired to her room
to take a little rest, distinctly heard the words: "My
daugbter, His Eminence is now rejecting the petition of
Father Gibalin. But fear not. 'rhe Order will be founded
and I l\1yself will establish it.m
'J~he Mother was alone and it was impossible for any
human being to have spoken to her. The voice which had
just been heard by the ears of her body, had all the sweetness and strength of that which ordinarily spoke to the
ear of her soul. In order to be able to prove with greater
evidence the truth of these words, and doubtless also in
order to strengthen the confidence of her daughters, the
p1udent l\1other called Sisters Elizabeth Grassetean and
Catherine Hicharclon, and confided to them -what had happened. The fulfillment of the first part of this revelation
was to be to them a pledge of the realization of the second.
If it was true that, on that very morning, Father Gibalin
had asked the Cardinal to execute their Bull and had
obtnhwd ouly a refusal; it wonld also be true that the
Order wonld exist sorne day, and that the Incarnate 'Vord
Himself would establish it.
An occasion of verifying the mmonncement was uot long
1.\ 11t og r a phi c Liff', c h . LXX.

OPPOSITION OF i.\IONSIGXOR DE RICHELIEU

1!)5

delayed. At noon, M. de Nesme, the chaplain of the Cardinal and a clevoted friend of the Foundress, came, quite
dejected, to tell her of Father Gibalin's attempt and of his
clisappointment. He was astonished to see that such new~
neither surprised nor troubled the good Mother. He testified later that she sent for the two Sisters who had been
her confidantes and asked them to repeat what she had
conficled to them on this subject.-The chaplain withdrew,
blessing the Incarnate nrord \\Tho th us assuaged the trials
of her who suffered for His sake.
This was only the beginning of the consolations by
which the infinitely good Master wished to alleviate the
pain of a new refusal. That evening as she was going to
pray before the Blessed Sacrament, her soul was immediately seized with a sweet enthusiasm and clelightfully
absorbed in God. She heard the words: Orietur in diebus
tuis justitia et abnndanUa pacis. "In thy days there shall
dawn justice and abundance of peace.m Then some flmvers
were shown her. The lily of the valley, the iris and the
lavencler embalmed her in their celestial perfumes and
shed upon her so sweetly tbat abundance of peace which
had been promised her, that she '"'as inflamed " rith a desire
that all nations, but especially her own, could enjoy this
blessing. In response to this longing, two beautiful branches
of lilies were placed upon her shoulders, and she was told
to present them to Gocl in her prayers. "These,'' she adds,
Hwere two branches of that tree of the fleurs de lis which
had been shown to me in 1()25. Y ou told me to have
patience until Yon would explain distinctly that. vision
to me and that while waiting I should gratefully rejoice foi
the consolations which, through an excess of goodness, You
imparted to me." 2
, The meaning of this vision is now no longer a mystery.
It is well known that thi:-; tree of the fleurs de lis, shown
to Mother de Matel, as the posterity of Louis XIII at fhst
ga,Te two royal fiowe1s to France: the Dauphin who was
Louis XIV and Philip, his brother, the Duke of Orleans .
1Ps. LXXI, 7.
2.-\u tographic Life, c h . LXX.

196

LIF'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

These were the branches so ardently longed for and which,

even before their blossoming, were confided to His belove<l, with the mission to present them to Himself in her
prayers.
How can we resist admiring the ineffable tenderness
of the goodness of '"T esus, or recognizing the grea tness of
the satisfaction which He can give to the noblest aspirations of a soul whom He wishes to encourage? To the
soul of the Foundress which is so intensely French, He
offers, as a compensation for her sacrifices, the anticipated
view of the future prospel'ity of ber dear country. She
is imbned and inebriated with these joys, in the midst of
her own afflictions.
~rhis state of consolation continued throughout the entire season which the Church consecrates to honoring the
joyful mysteries of the Roly Childhood. But with the days
when she dons again her vestments of mourning, there
commenced, for the poor Mother, a period of severe trials.
She fell dangerously ill. A violent attack of asthma cause<l
her painful suffocations. It was feared that her life would
not be prolonged beyond a few months. At that time, when
the unction of grace would have been needed to alleviate
her snfferings, her soul was bowed down with desolation.
On the second Friday of Lent, this state of interior
auguish reached its crisis. The sorrow of her soul became
so violent, that, as she said, "it seemed as if her intestines
were being twisted and torn out.m Her eyes shed torrents
of tears. Sorne time previously, she had seen the dove
which had reposed on her, at the time of the first refusa!
of the Archbishop, fty away and alight on the tabernacle
throne. She had told Father Gibalin of this vision, the
meaning of which she did not comprehend. "On that day,"
~he ad<ls, "I learned, by bitter experience, that the shiell
which had made me insellsible to all the l'el'nsals of Ris
EminencP, was no longer over my hcmt, :md i hat it was
tliis love whieh had de~ccndcd 1qw11 Yon, 0 divine rod
of . Je:-;~e, \Vho jlHlged fit to mnkc me l'eel 1he extreme
f'adncss wh ich l wns sn1foring, NO i lw t J rnight Jrnow what
IAulogra pliie Lifc, ch. LXXI.

OPPOSI'l'ION OF 1\IONSIGNOR DE IlICHELIEU

lf)7

a grace Yon bad given me, by sending me Your Spirit to

binder my spirit and heart from being afflicted.m
The love of the saints for tbeir God is independent of
the consolations or tribulations which tbey experience. He
vVhom they love, Js irnrnutable. . Thence, according to Holy
'Vrit, torrents or overflowing rivers are not capable of
extinguisbing the flames of trne charity. St. Paul exclaimed: "-nTbo shall separate me from the charity of
Christ? Sball affliction, persecution, or death? No, I
am sure that nothing will ever separate me from it." 2
\Vben her tortures were severest, the a fflicted l\fother
thougbt of the possibility of their lasting until ber death,
and of Our Lord, "'\Vho so far had tempered ber trials by
the sweets of His grace, extending to ber henceforward,
witbout admixture, the chalice of affliction .
.She then, con:fidingly and unreservedly, offered herself
fo the desires of the God -n7hom she loved, saying wi tli
the Patriarch of so1-rows: Etiani si occiderit me) in ipso
sperabo. "Even if He shall kill me I will hope in Hn." 3
This magnanimous cry became a cry of victor,y. Immediately she felt enkindled in ber beart an ardent flame.
'"rherefore, He V\7ho hides Himself loves me while afflicting me, since, from His high throne, He sends His fire
into my bones, and teaches me that He hicles Himself only
to see if I woulcl love Him as much when absent as wben
presen t." 4
Our T.. ord clid not wish her to carry, wHhout belp and
coi1solation, this cross of hope deferred which \Yas weighing so heavily upon her. One day, when this long delay
was oppressing ber beart more painfnlly than usual, she
cried ont: "Dear Lord, when will You establish Your
Order? " The good l\Iaster replied to ber smiling, as it
were: "Thou speakest to )le like M:y disciples at the moment when I was about to ascend into Heaven, when they
asked: Domine. ~i in tentporc hoc restitues rcgnuni Israel?
dLord, wilt thon, at this time, 1e~to1c the Kingdom of
1Autographic Life, ch. LXXI.
2Rom., ch. VIII, 35.
3Job, XIII, 15.
4Autographic Life, ch. LXXI.

198

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

Is1ael ?" I replied to them: Non est vestrwn nosse tenipora

vel momenta quae Pater posuit in s1w potestatc) sed accipietis
virtutem s1ipervenientis Spiritus Sanct,i i vos. "It is not
for you to know the time or the moment which the Father
hath put in His own power, hnt you shall receive the power
of the Roly Ghost ,omiug upon you.m Know, l\1y daughter,
that, when My disciples tlrns qnestioned l\Ie, the . Kingdom
of Israel h acl alreacly been established, but not in the way
they imagined. 'r11r.r did not have a clear knowledge of l\fy
spiritual kingdom, nntil after the descent of the Roly
Ghost vVho came t6 confhm it. Thou askest l\fe when I
shall esta blish My kingdom before men. Leave that to
the knowledge aud foreknowledge of the God ~Tho loves
thee, and know that it is already established in thyself, in
whom l\1y Father has constituted l\Ie King, as on l\1y Sion
and in l\1y peaceful J erusalem. 'fhou art l\fy city in which
I have placed My fortress. On thy lowliness, I have heaped
up l\ly greatness. l\Iy lrnmanity and My divinity repose
in thee. I haYe bnilt My Temple in thy ~onl. 'Vhat is
this kingdom of hnael, bnt reigning _with God and seeing
God bowed clown to diffuse Himse1f, as I have doue in
such abundance in thee that we are wrestling almost continuonsly in a strnggle which gives thee greater advantages
th an th ose of Jacob wrestling with l\Iyself hidden un der
the form of an angel. Our wrestling consists in this, namely,
that thon tellest l\Ie thon art unworthy of l\1y caresses,
and that, on l\fy side, I wish to convince thee that l\Iy love
for thee has mel'ited them, and that it cannot withhol<l
them withont resisting the inclinations of l\Iy goodness. I
do not retire, at the break of day, after giving thee M.Y
ble:;.;~ing, for I am the Snn, the Orient, and I wish to remain
with thee as the Ood of blesf-'iugs." 2
A shoit tirne afterwards, in the same year of 1637, the
Tnearnate 'Vo1d onlcird her to 1mrcha~e the honse which
1he <"ommmiiiy oecnpie<l, bnt whielt was 0111.r leaf-'e<l. 'rhis
Wl~ anothe1 wny of confhming the ceditude and stahi1ity
o r ihat exteiior Kingdom whil:lt He ]H'Ollliscd her for the
1Act s 1, 6, 7, 8.
2.i\ ut og r a plli c Lif e, c h . L X VJlI.

OPPOSITIOX OF ~roxswxon DE nIC'I-IELmu

190

futme. As He made known to her, He wished, by the

establishment of a monastery of His Order in that place,
to honor the blood of His martyrs.
As we alreacly know, the marty1s Llood had flowecl in
such abundance on the sicles of the hill where the palace
of the Roman Emperors stoocl, that, because of the gnrgling
of the bloody torrent, the ascent had receiYed from the
people the name of Gourguillon. If, of old, the blood of
martyrs had been the seed of Christians, Our Lord promised that it "Tould also become a source of benedictions for
the future monastery.
He assured the Fonndress that He would make it His
temple, like that of Solomon, but that He would ne-ver
turn away His eyes from it, and that He would loYe that
Sion more th an all the 'ra bernacles of Jacob.
These lnomises of p1osperity were in strong contrast
with the actnal state of the little Congregation. 'rl1e good
:Jlother did not doubt the accomplishment of these -words
of her beloved Lord, but, at certain moments, p1esent adversities were more ieal than future benedictions. Once,
when she had heard of the flourishing state of several
monasteries of the city, with a heart oppressed with sadness she went to Our Lord to represent to Him how His
own religions fmnily was dec1easing and was abancloned.
'rhen that inconlJmra ble Spon~e bonowed, to co11sole her,
the words of Ekana to the future mother of Samnet his
afflicted and stetile SJJOnse, and He said to her: L-lww
cur fles? TunuJ_uid non c,r10 mclior tibi sum qllam dcccm
filii? ''--:\nne. why wee1;est thon? ~\m I not more to thee
than ten children ?m J oaww,. cu1 flcs? ".Jeanne, why weepest thon?" -:\[y daughter, My s11onse, why weepest thon?
\Yhy is thy heart afflicted? Am I not a thonsand times
more delightful to thee, than if thon hadst ten monasteries?
In :Jie hast thou not all easnres? A wnit Jfy time~ :JI y
dearest, and enjoy My love which is worth more to thee
than ten thonsand daughters.m Aftenvards applying to her
a great part of the fifty-fourth chapter of Isaias, He prom11 Kings, I, 8.
2Autographic Life , ch. LXXI.

200

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\1.ATEI_,

ised to enlarge her tents and to lay, with His own hand,
the living stones of His new city, and to found it on the
sapphire of His adorable lrnmanity.
One day, as Mother de Matel entered the community
assembly room, where her danghters 'vere worldng in silence
and recollection, she. felt ber heart transpierced at the sight
of their long waiting. All were sighing for the happiness
of the religious Profession and were sacrificing themselves
so generously in order to become danghters of the Incarnate -nr ord ! She did not make known to them her interior
suffering, but, as usual, she ponred f01th her soul in presence of her Spou se. On this occasion He sent St. Jerome
to console her.
As mny be remembered, the austere and learned translator of the Holy Scriptures had received the mission to
teach them to !Jeanne, as St. Denis had been commissioned
to instruct her in mystic theology. 'rhey were her most
beloved protectors.
1n her moments of greatest difficnlty, Our Lord favored
her with their consolations. " The sight of this, my Teacher,"
says l\Iother de 1\fatel, "consoled me so much, that the sadness cansed by the long waiting of my daughters, vanished
into a sweet ecstasy which our Sisters, seated near by,
mistook for sleep. The Saint appeared to me, clothed in
black like the religious of his Order. He was so emaciated
that he looked like a skeleton. His hair and beard were
all white, as if he were twenty years older than when
he first appeared to me at Paris. He informed me that
he had aged and wasted away in Yonr service, 0 my
Rovereign, and that be consi dered it a great favor to sacrifice Ids life and whole being for Yonr honor.m
'Hiis lesson was worthy of the illustrions hennit of
Bethlehem, and was well suited to stimulate the courage
and constancy of her who was also sacrificing her own
life mid her whole being to tbe accomplishment of the
designs of the Incarnate 'Vord. Bnt if example attracts,
love givcs wings. The gift which St. Denis made to his
pions pupi1 7 somc days later, on the vigil of his feast,
1J\utogr:1.pl1ic Life, ch. LXXIII.

OPPOSITION OF l\IONSIGNOR DE RICHELIEU

201

October S, 1637, is thus related by her who received this

sublime favor.
"'l~owards eveuing," says the worthy Foundress, "I had
retired into 01u chapel, to pray before Your Divine Majesty
reposing in Your tabernacle, when I had a rapture and
an ecstasy. My intellect and will were sublimely and
lovingly drawn by Yon, the one to be instructed and enlightened, the other to be united and inflamed with a teaching and illumination, with an ardor and transformation,
which were a foretaste of heavenly beatitude. It pleased
You, 0 divine vVord, 0 voluutary Mirror, to disclose to
me, the most sublime things written by St. Denis about
Your supersubstantial Being and sovereign beatitude, and
about the divine names and the celestial hierarchy. Yon
taught me, as far as this is possible for a pilgrim soul,
. the difference which exists between essential and accidental
glory.m
At the command of Our Lord Himself, the pions Mother
attempted to paint, in pages which astonish, the divine
things which she had contemplatecl. \Ve shall cite from
ber magnificent treatise, only the passage in which she
makes an allusion to the blessed effects procluced by the
sight or anticipated possession of the Sovereign Good:
~'The soul which is blessed with such a sublime favor, is
penetrated and imbued with the Divine Substance which
unites that soul to Itself in an ineffable but real manner,
and which simplifies it and conforms it to Him vVho is
divine form without rnatter.
The spirit is spiritualized
in that furnace which is all mighty, all knowing, and all
goocl, and which makes it good and supereminent above
infel'ior things. This is what the Apostle says of the
spiritual man who judges all things and is judged by none
of them, because the divine ray, raising him above them,
withclraws him from their jnrisdiction, and that spirit elevated in God, jndges with admirable discernment that which
is beneath God." 2
1Autographic Life, c h. LXXIV.
2Jbidem.

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LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\1ATEL

Tt might be thought that, after having drunk from the

l'ver whose waves 1oll through the city of God, a poor lrnman heart would be incapable of relishing the joy~ of earth
below. However, the Incarnate 'Vord waR preparing to
meet the trials of His cherished spouse, with other consolations, whirh, thongh of an inferior order, yet did not
fail to re1>Ienish her with gladness, by satisfying one of the
noblest sentiments of her heart and by showing ber the end
of lier long waiting.

CHAP~rER

XII

The Last Period of Waiting

1G37-1G39
In the beginning of December, 1G37, Mother de .Matel,
every night in her drearns, saw herself introduced at the
Louvre to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. As she wished
to kneel to render them homage, they hastened to raise her
and they themselves bowed down before her. As these
dreams kept recurring, they attracted her attention, at first
only to jest about them. She spoke of them in this sense,
to the Abb Saint-Just with whom she was familiarly acqnain ted. He seemed to see in these dreams presages of her
future greatness. 'rhe Mother wittily replied : "'That is
somethiug which I do not want. I would need the double
spirit which the prophet Eliseus asked of Elias. And my
spirit is not suited to the Court. It is too simple and childlike.m
Heaven finally ievealed to her the meaning of these
mysterious visions: 'l"'he Queen had just concei ved the royal
scion whom since 1625, Our Lord had promised he1 to give
to the tree of the fleurs de lis which He had shown her as
the posterity of Louis XIII. She prom ptly im parted the
good news to Father Gibalin. Sorne time afterwards, Father
r] olm Roux was apprised of this throngh one of his friends
at Court.
This Father was a recent conquest of Mother de Matel.
For a long while he had shown himself opposecl to her deRign, falsely believing that she was ambitions of ounding
an Order of .Jesuitesses. He had fallen sick and the Foundress had had a Mass said for him, after which he was cured.
Having Iemned through Father Gibalin to whom he was
1debted for the sudden change in his health, he 'yent to the
yene1able l\fother and said: "Your charity has conquered
me. I corne now to make my apology to the Incarnate " 1ord
and to you, for having opposecl yonr designs without knowi11g tbem sufficiently." 2
1Autographic Life, ch. LXXVI.
2.\ utographic Lif e. ch. LXXIII.
20:3

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LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\f ATEL

vVhen this Father hurriedly came to inform ~Father

Gibalin of the happy event which had been announced to
him from Paris, he s~nY, from the impression made by the
news upon his confrere, that this was not news to him. He
suspected the source of his know ledge and plied him with
questions to relate all he knew of the matter. ' In the interest of l\fother de Matel, Father Gibalin would have liked to
satisfy the curiosity of Father Roux. He was not ignorant
of his influence at Court or of the zeal with which be would
use this influence in favor of the Foundress and ber work.
But discretion did not permit him to speak without the
authorization of her who had confided her secret to him.
He asked her permission, but the l\fother refused it abso-.
lutely.
'Vhen she had hopes that the knowledge of God's goodness towards ber would canse others to bless the Divine
l\fercy, her soul became transparent and permitted others
to see the treasures with which she had been enriched.
But when personal advantage seemed the principal result of such confidences, her humility covered, with an
impenetrable veil, the riches which God had confided to her.
It was thus- in the present circumstance. "I returned," she
says, "from Paris with my secret and was unwilling to
speak to the Queen, in spite of many opportunities of doing
so. N othing would be so rnortifying to me as to be proclaimed at Court as a prophetess and to be known as a
child of revelations.m Father Gibalin's arguments were
of no avail, and the part which the pions l\fother, by her fervent supplications, had had in the graces which had just
been granted to France, remained unknown to men as far as
she could hide it.. The care which God took, with adorable
delicacy, to discover to her what concerned this great
event, unsealed to her the part she had taken therein. 2
1Autographic Life, ch. LXXVI.
2'l'he humility of Mother tle Matel nover went so far as to completely
r e veal to the Co11rt the knowledge of the promises which she lrnd recc ivcd about th e birth of Lou is XIV. An n e of A ustria was informed of it.
In tho abs ence of the Foundress shc summoncd Mother Gibalin, then at
Pari s , showcd hcr the little Dauphin and placed him in h e r arms, and, as
our Memoirs say, "Bcggcd her to pray to God for his preservation and
s alvation. She nov er s poke of this without manifesting sentiments of
cx trnorclinary tend erness."

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205

On the very night of the birth of the royal child, the

night between Satnrday and Snnclay, September 5, 1638, he
was shown in a vision to l\Iother de l\fatel. Her joy defies
description. She was radiant with hap1Jiness. l\lother
Frances Gravier was the first to notice it and exclaimed:
"Come and look at our l\Iotber. Go and tell all the Sisters.
She is beaming with joy.m
All understood that she hacl been granted some unusual
favor. The state in which they saw her, in no way resembled
that in which they had so often adrnired her after long
hours of rapture or ecstasy. If is easy to believe that she
\Yas closely questioned. But the good l\lother, who could
not prevent her com:itenance from speaking, wished at least
to condemn her li ps to silence. Her secretary said to her:
"I will ask Father Gibalin to command you to write what
. you have seen.m This was done. Mother de Matel had to
confess to her director, from whom she never concealed anything, that "the Dauphin was born, and, that in order to
give her pleasnre, Our Lord had permitted her to see the
babe." 3
Sorne days after, this was no longer a secret. All France
knew tlrnt precisely on September 5, was born the angust
infant whom, in Jier joy and gratitude, she called givcn by
God and who was to be Louis XIV.
YVhen in 1627, Our Lord had formally said to l\lother de
l\f a tel that He woulcl give offspring to Louis XIII, He had
also assured her, as the reader may recall, that He would
establish her Order after He had granted to the King and
the Queen, the vie tories and the f ecundity which He had
promised for them. After the birth of the Dauphin, she
lovingly said to Our Divine Savior: " When will You establish Y our Order? 'rhe King has alreacly won so many victories, and Yon have given him an heir. N othing is missing to the fnlfillment of the promises which You have made,
except to establish Y our Order. I am urged to return to
Paris. 'Vill our establishment at Lyons be delayed long
1A utographi c Li fe, c h . LXXVI.
2Jbid em.
: lbicl e rn .

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LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MA'rEL

enough to justify me in undertaking that journey? If You

send me twenty boarding pnpils, I will consider it a sign
that Yon wish me to remain here.m
Sorne days after, Mother de Matel saw the nnmber of
pupils confided to the care of her daughters, grow from
twelve to twenty, and the latter found, in the increase of
their occupat~ions, a diversion from the pains of their long
trials.

This was not the moment for her to be far distant. The
hour for the realization of the divine promises was approaching. On the vigil of Sexagesima of that year, 1639,
which was to see the birth of the new Ortler, as Mother de
Matel was in the parlor with M. Bernardon, a virtuous
ecclesiastic who was prior of St. Denis, Our Lord strongly
attracted her attention to the text of the Gospel for the
next day, in which the Church recalls the parable of the
sower. He made her understand that He Himself, the Word
of God, was coming, as the adorable seed, to be sown in the
soil of her heart in a divine manner, and to make her fruitful, like the earth which returns a hundredfold as the fruit
of patience. "My danghter," He said to her, "the seed which
I carne to sow in thee, is holy and divine. It is dew, snn.,
and ftarne. My Divine Father, Who is the source of origin
in our august Trinity, cornes to distill Himself, in thee, as
an admirable dew, to communicate to thee His divine paternity. vVithout going out from My source, without any
diminution of My light, I corne as a sun, to commnnicate
to thee My glories and My filiation, and the Roly Spirit,
vVhom "\Ve produce, is a living flame Who, without qnitting
or diminishing the furnace from which He emanates, comes
into thec to inftame thee. And because thou canst not receive the immortality of that dew, that snn and that fiarne
and that immensity, which can be totally known and received only by the 'l'h1ee Divine Persons, the Roly Spirit,
vVho terminates our productions, cornes in thee, by an adrni1ablc diffusion, withont diminution of His Divine Being,
:nul wHhont lcsscning His immensity w11ich is common. to
1Autog raphic Lifc, c h. LXXVI.

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207

Him with the Father and :Myself, and thon receivest Our
three hypostases which are indivisible on account of Our
divine nature which is most simple." 1
At the arriYal of nf. Bernardon, the daylight was . be
ginning to gro\v dim. \Yhen the venerable Mother found
herself invaded by the divine operation, she felt reassured,
as she thought her . visitor would soon be obliged to retire,
and would not have time to observe her. I t was other\Yise. The Prior, being obliged to sustain the whole conversation, understood that God had rapt to Himself her
whom the speaker vainly attempted to retain on earth.
Perhaps this was not the first time that he had such a
happy experience in his dealings with the Foundress. He
was soon seized with fright. An aureola of light encircled
her countenance and rende1ed it radiant. Several times,
this supernatural 1ight snrrounded her head, descencled on
her bosom, then on her knees, and finn1ly was hidden from
sight by the walls of the grille.
'Yhen :Jiother de :Jiatel had recovered her senses, .he
related to her, with great emotion, all that he hacl jnst
seen, and asked her what she had experienced. Fainting
and inflamed \Yi th heavenly delectation, she replied: "I t
is an effusion of the Divine I . . ove, the visible sign which
you have seen, makes me understancl still better the invisible grace which I have received. I am unable to speak
an~~ longer. Love God in \Vhose love I leaye you." 2
Sister
Frances Gravier had to lead her away to her cell, as she
'Yas succumbing uncler the bliss and glory with which she
was loaded by her adorable Spouse. "He made it Ris
nuptial chamber," she says, " renewing His divine nuptia ls
miel Ris sacred union with me.'~
From the day of that ineffable fayor np to the establishment of the Orcler, Our Lord frequently attracted her
to sublime contemvlation of the rnysteries contained in
the \YOrds of the canticle: Lect Il 7us n aster fl oribus, etc. 4
3

1Autographic Life, ch. LXXVII.

2Ibidem.
3lhidem.
4Cant. 1, 15.

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LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD Dlp 1\IATEL

"Our bed is strewn with flowers." Then He unveilecl to

her ecstatic view the incomparable beauties and the supereminent advantages of holy virginity. Several times He
confirmed these interior lights by visible prodigies which
wefo sweet and gracions like the beauties which He was
revealing.
On ~rlrnrsday of the fourth week of ~.. ent, 1G39, alluding
to the Gospel of the day, He ga-ve her this pres~ing and
loving invitation: "My daughter, even as I commanded
to rise from the bier the young man whom I gave back
ali ve to his mother 'vho was weeping over lier dead son,
I say to thee, arise, it is I \\Tho command thee . . Raise thy
spirit to Me. Come, M:y beloved, to the bosom of the divinity which bronght thee forth upon the flower-covered bed
of thy Divine Spouse :" Lectnlus noster floribus 11 A.t these
pmye.rful and sweet words, the ever inflamed soul of the
Foundress was transported and rapt into the bosom of
Him iVho had pronounced them. There she saw how virgini ty has its source in the divinity itself. How, from all
eternity, the Father virginally begets His \Vord of Whom
Ile wished, in time, a Virgin shonld be the Mother. She
comprehended the tenderness of J esus for the virgin
Apostle, and the happiness and loYe of which that beloved
disciple became capable by his virginity. She nnderstood
the sweet and profound reality of the divine oracles which
call J esus "The flower of the field and the lily of the valley,"
comparing virgins to lilies among the other children of
men who appear only like thorns.
All inebriated by the perfumes and graces of this
celestial virtue, Mother de Matel could only repeat: Lcctulus
noster florius) when she was recalled to herself by a voice
from the other side of the choir grille, near which she was
kneeling in prayer. 'l'his was the younger :M. Bernardou,
brother of the I'l'ior who, some weeks before, had witnessed
the effusion of the -Holy Ghost upoH hcr. 'l'his y01mg man
was prepal'ing to sc1vc the l\las8 which llis brother was
about to celcbl'ate in the chapel of the Incainatc \Vord.
1A utog raphic Lifc , c h . LXXVJII.

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209

He now assisted at the incomprehensible spectacle and exclaimed: '"Mother, Mother, I see a shower of white ftowers
falling upon you. For a long while I have been admiring
these marvelous flowers which have been falling in inexpressible beauty and resemble ha 'vthorn blossoms, but I
do not see where they corne from.m They came from on
high and the young cleric would have needed the pions
Mother's seraphic wings to attain the garden from which
they emanated.
Another person whose name has not corne down to us,
was favored with the sight of the same prodigy. This time,
the venerable Foundress was in the parlor when the sacred
Spouse of virgins elevated her soul to His divine ftowerdecked couch. \Yhile she was contemplating His divine
splendor and regaling herself with His sweet perfumes, the
same white, fragrant fiowers were scattered over her, to
the surprise of the person with whom she was conversing
and who conld not see from whence came these miraculous
blossoms.
Eviclently, the hard and long winter of anxious waiting had passed. The ftowers which appear on earth, promise
the fruit for which she had so earnestly longed.
Soon other pledges are brought from Heaven to the
good Mother, who knows how to interest the saints in her
great work. One day, adclressing St. Peter, she said to
hill): "Great Saint, consider the long waiting of the daughters of the Incarnate \Vord. All Lyons pities them. The
magistrates and the people have a great desire for our
establishment and I beg you to obtain for them the graces
of the Father of Light, as a reward for their zeal for this
Order. You are not unaware of the power which the Incarnate Word has given you. His Eminence is your subject. Could you not inspire him to execute the Bnll which
your successor has addressed to him ?" 2
She had scarcely ended this childlike prayer when , as
she relates, " this universal Pastor, taking pity on his little
lam bs, appeared to me upon a iock and told me that he
tAutogra phic Life, ch. LXXVIII.
2Ibid e m .

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LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\IATEL

would take care of this establishment- and would protect

all the daughters of the Incarnate vVord who are daughters
of the Clmrch.m
This promise was not void. I t was un der the shadow
of the scepter of this charitable Prince of the Apostles
and at the foot of this rock whence he seemed to be watching over his domain of Avignon, that the first monastery
of the new Order. was to be erected.
After the disappearance of the holy Apostle, the Divine
~raster, as if to uphold this word of His Vicar and guarantee
its accomplislunent, said to her: "l\fy daughter, always
have great confidence. I will fulfill all Uy promises.m An
borrowing the saying of Aggaens on His first corning, He
adds: Adhitc nnwn modicwn est) et ego cornnwvebo coelwn
et terra1n et veniet desideratus cnnctis gentibus. "Yet a
little while, and I will move the heavens and the earth,
nnd there shnll tome the Desired of all nations.'' 3
As has bcen seen, it is always to the promises and
p1ivileges of His Incarnation that this Divine 'Vord cornes
back when He speaks of His 01der. Thus, on the vigil
of the solemnity of this g1eat mystery, l\fother de l\fatel
pe1mits herself to say to Him: "Dear Lord, Yon have
accomplished the prophecies which announced Your In~
carnation. lY'"hen will Yon verify the promises You have
made in favor of Yonr Order? 'Vhence cornes it that they
:uc retarded ?" 4 Under this last question, the compass.ionate, clear-sighted eye of the good M:aster discovered the
fea r s which His dear disciple's great humility inspired
in hcr . He replied to her in the following words of profound wisdom: " l\ly danghtcr, when there is question of
prophecies that relate to a nniversal good, 1 accomplish
lhem always, becanse their effect is infallible in consequence
of the eternal det1'<~e which I have not made dependent
on the free will of neatnres. Snch was the decree of the
lncnrHation mHl Passion whieh vmtaiHe to the glo1y of
God and the sal vati011 of men. And when irnpmfect di~1A ut ng-r:i phi c Life, c h . LXXVlTT .
:? Ibid e m .
:~1\ gga e u s. l T, 7.
I ...\ u tngra pll i c Li f c. c h . LXX 1X .

THE LA.ST PERIOD OF WAITING

211

positions seem to retard their execution, l\Iy 1mwel'ful goodness was not impeded by them, as I showed when, in spite
of the refus al of Achaz, I made Isaias gi ve him a sign of
l\fy Incarnation, even when he showed himself undeserving, tha t I shoulcl take flesh from liis race.
' ~My daugliter, thon must not fear lest, from :Jly consicleration of thy many faults, I shall fail to accomplish
what I have prornised, since this Order is to extend l\Iy
glory and save many souls. A general good must not be
deferred on account of a private individual. And, if it seems
to be retarded, it is because l\Iy ProYidence so ordains precisel.,,- to humble or convert her who by co\vardice or levity
cloes not prepare herself to become a proper instrument
of :Jfy work. It is for this purpose and for the salyation
of the indiYiduals that t he Church so often says: U t clign i
e.fficiamur prom issionib us Christi: ''that we may be made
worth.r of the promises of Christ .' ~
\Vhile l\Iother de :Jla tel is enra ptured wi th loYe and
~;ratitucle from hearing these oracles of her Divine '"reacher,
garlands of sapphires and stars are sho-\vn to her. These are
the c1o"ns she is told which Divine Goodness has preparecl
for His daughters who await, with such constanc.r and
hnmility, the establishment which has been so long deferred.
'rhere \Yas then no cause for regret in these delays. :Jloreover, they were nearing their end, for she says: " I afte1wards sa"T two trurnpets made like the horns which are
carried by hunters and united so as to form together an
oyal. These did not strike the ears of the body, _but their
notes ascended to the Divinity, and I was told to await
in hope and silence the Divine Savior \Vho joins His petitions to ours.m The sighs and supplications of the goocl
l\[other and her daughters, united to the acceptable prayer
of J esus, mounted to the throne of Gocl, and were echoed
back from Heaven by the announcement of the proximat e
inauguration of the Order of the Incarnate \7 ord.
I t was Pope St. Leo who recei ve the missi on to desig1

1A 11t ograp h i c Life, c h . LXXIX.

'.?Ib id e m.

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LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

na te . to l\fother de Matel the place where this adorable

\Vord wished to l'Cceive from her His mystic birth.
Ou April 9, 163f), two days before the feast of the great
Pontiff, as she was praying to him, with her ingenuous
piety, to interest himself in the Institute of Him Whom
he loved so much and 'Vhose Incarnation he had so worthily
expounded, he appeared to her, full of benevolence and
majesty. He kindly invited her to go to Avignon, because
it was there that the Incarnate Word wished to crown
His Order.
The worthy l\1other had never cast her eyes in that
direction from which indeed no opening had been offered
her. After that vision only a few days had passed, when
Father ~John Baptist Guesnay, rector of the J esuit college
at Avignon, came to Lyons for a provincial meeting. He
was informed by Father Gibalin, his intimate friend, of
the causes that prevented Mother de l\1atel, whom he held
in high esteem, from commeucing the work for which the
Incarnate -YVord had commissioned her. T'he recital of
the Cardinal Archbishop's opposition touched him deeply.
He went to Mount Gourguillon to offer her his sympathy
and encouragement, saying to her in a tone of friendly
reproach, 'Vhen wi11 you finally hasten to establish this
Order which is so much desired ?" She recalled the secret .
confided to her by St. I .. eo the Great and replied: "I do
not see that it eau be established at Lyons so soon, but if
your Reverence can procure us the means of taking the
holy religious habit at Avignon, we will be eternally obliged
to you for this favor." With a heart overflowing with zeal
and devotedness, Father Guesnay replied: "Mother, if you .
have friends who will take care of the finances there will
be no resistance which we will not surmount with the help
of God.m
l\1other de Ma tel offered to furnish a house fully equipped,
to defray the expeuses of the Bull and of the journey,
and provide a revenue of five huudred francs for five reJi g-jous. Father Quesnay considered this snfficient and prom1 A'Jtographic

Life, c h . LXXX.

THE LAST PERIOD OF W AITING

213

ised to use his best efforts for the snccess of this holy
enterprise. He kept his word.
On his return to Avignon, he exerted all the influence
which he had from his position and from his personal worth.
He obtained from Monsignor Frederick Sforza, the Vice
Lega te, the promise of a Bull of erection for the new monastery, and from M. d' Alaman, the Vicar General and
Administrator of the diocese in the absence of the Arcl1bishop, Monsignor Philonardi, Nuncio to Poland, the authorization to execute the Bull, and from the City Councilors
their consent to the foundation. Father Guesnay represented to them the advantages offered by this establishment, the sanctity of the new Order and the extraordinary
virtue of its Foundress, so that, as we are told by Mother
de l\fatel's biographer of Avignon, "by an effect of the
spirit of religion which has always characterized the citizens of this second Rome, all who then composed the City
Council unanimously approved the project.m
When these negotiations had beeu completed, Father
Gnesnay wrote to l\.Iother de :Matel: "The thne to see
the realization of the designs and promises of Divine Mercy
has arrived. Hasten to labor for tbeir accomplishment.
The principal citizens and the people of Avignon ardently
desire to welcome within their walls, the daughters of the
Incarnate 'Vord." 2
I t is easy to imagine the effect prodnced by this news
in the heart of the Cong1egation. The grace which had
been so long awaited and believed to be so far ~istant, is
soon to be theirs ! Each one asks herself, "Shall I be among
the first to be clothed in the holy livery of the Incarnate
Word ?" They pray and hope and resign themselves, for
the foundation of Avignon must not make them abandon
that of Lyons for which _they have undergone such sufferings and received from Heaven such favorable promises.
Moreover that of Paris must not be forgotten, a foundation there might now be asked for without delay.
1Life of the venerable Mother Chezard de Matel, by a priest of the

Society of Jesus (Avignon, MDCCXLIII).

2lbidem.

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LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

'l'l1e prudent l\fother made no decision without consulting God and her director; she was especially careful to
seek their advice in such a grave conjuncture, one of the
most decisive in her life. The most important thing was
to determine wh at to do regarding herself. W ould she
slrnt herself up in the monastery which she was going to
found and clothe herself in the li very so full of mysteries
and graces, which the Incarnate 'Vord had commissioned
her to give to her danghters "? Or on the other hand, would
she continue to give the support of her presence to the
Congregation, in order to labor from this center with fuller
liberty for the foundations which would probably follow?
This second course seemed the wiser to all the learned
and pions persons who were consulted. For Mother de
1\fatel it was a sacrifice. vVhat incomparable bliss she would
bave enjoyed in seeing realized in herself, the mercifnl designs of the Incarnate vVord upon her Order ! But on the
other hand, what anguish for her :Mother's heart to abandon
to the bitterness of waiting, the severity of which was
known to her, those of her daughters whom she could not
destine for Avignon! As long as their Mother shares their
trial, they will hope to see its termination. But 'vill they
not yield to discouragcment if they see themselves alone
in bearing this cross?
T10 all of those reasons there was added another which
in the eyes of l\1other de l\1atel was peremptory. When she
asked her own Archbishop for his authorization to go to
Avignon to found a monastery there, he manifested his
desire that she should not remain there, but should return
to Lyons as promptly as possible. For the humble l\fother,
this desire was an order. It was definitely decided that
she wouid not take the religions habit in her first couvent.
'l'he ti-ne cause of this suqwising detcm1ination came
from on high. God was its Author. As wc have seen, His
Goodness had special def-\igns npon ihis p1ivilcged creature.
Ife wished to lJe indebtcd to her, in a mystical manner,
for a birth which would be an extension of His Incaina1io11. He took pleasure, in applying to her, the sac1ed
01aclcs hy which the lloly Spirit cc1elnated the preroga-

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215

tiYes of 3Iary, as H e loved to speak of this ne"'" event of

mercy, in the same terms in which the Prophets had announced His coming into this world. He had placed in
lier heart and on her li ps, when He asked her consent to
this mission, the words of the Blessed Yirgin: Ecce ancilla
Domini) fiat milli secuncl1un verbwn tnum. ''Rehold the
handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to
T'hy word.m And as He had given to Mary in His Church
a rank which is unique and a dignity which is hers alone,
He \dshed Mother de l\l a tel to belong to the Order of the
Incarnate \\Tord, in an altogether different way from that
of others who would ever have the happiness of being members of it. He wished her to be its first and truest religions,
not accordig to the feebl e judgment of men, but according to that of God, \Yhose tenderness saw in her His mvn
. ~Iother and that of His Order and His most beloved spouse.
On August ~S, 1639, feast of St. Augustine, under whose
Rule, as its standard, the 01der of the Incarnate \Yord is
enrolled, Our Lord granted her , regarding this singular
destiny, a vision whose brightness, so resplendent from a
heavenly vimvpoint still remained obscure to earthly consideration. The adorable Savior said to her: ~ ' Hast thon
observed what is the robe of the Spouse in the Canticles ?"
She replies: " My Love, that is something to "\Yhich I have
never gh'en any thought. I do not observe that there is
any special robe. At one time the Spouse says that she
has taken off her tunic, and again, that the guards of the
city have taken off her num tle." J esus resumed: ''jJy
dauglrter, as it is said in the Apocalypse that the Spouse
is the ne"\Y J erusalem adorned by her Sponse, I vdsh to
clothe thee " 'ith l\ly divine brightness. I know well that
thon hast nothing of thyself, and it is by Me that thon
art ado1ned. Daughter of the great Caleb Augustine, I
have espoused thee as another Axa, and as she receiYed ,
for dowry, the eity of Cariath-Sepher, the city of letters, I ,
'Yl10 possess all the treasures of the wisdom and science
of My Father, have "\Yishecl thee to have, by a divine participation, the knoY'dedge of the IIoly Sc1ipture which is
1 Luke,

I , 38.

216

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

the true city of letters, and I have giyen thee also the superior and the inferior waters.
"Consider with humble gratitude how I have favored
thee above so rnany others. 'I'hese gifts place thee under
obligation to l\Iy goodness in a manner which is incomprehensible to angels and men." "1\Iy Love," she replies,
.. I cannot th ank Y ou in any way that is proportioned to
Yom favors. 1\Iay all the Saints with my Father St. Augustine, who is all heart like Caleb, praise You for this
through all eternity, Yon \Vho are my true Othoniel, the
God of my heart. 1\Iay I glorify You in Yourself alone,
and not in anything created, since You wish to clothe
me with Yourself \Vho are uncreated.m
~rhe fervent Mother then comprehended how far she
would be lrnmanly stl'ipped and divinely adorned ! She
knew that it would not be with the white dress, and red
sca pular and mantle destined for her danghters, that she
was to be clothed, but with the brightness and the sorrows
of the Spouse Who is Candidus et rnbicitndus) as her splendid robe of grace and glol'y, the wonder of HeaYen and
the enigma of earth.
'rl1e nearer the time approached for the accomplishment
of snch special designs upon her, the more sensibly did
Our Lord signify them to her.
On October 2, 163D, Mother de Matel offered herself as a
sacrifice to execute in union with the holy angels and in
their presence, all His adorable desires, and she prayed
Him to soon verify His promises. He made known to her
that her offe1ing was accepted m1d that her request had
lleen heai'd, but that before establishing the Ortler at Avignon, He wished to establish it in he1 heart. ''My heart," she
says, '"felt disposed in an admirable manner to receive this
ineffable favor. Yon planted and engrafted in my bosom
fat Pe of Yom complaceuty and showed me that which
Yon plaid e(l alld grafted. T ~aw it like a llulb in bloom,
havi11g the qunlitics of lllo~~om, free, an<l fruit. T'hen Yon
:-;ai<l to me : 'l\fy a'u gh te1, behold what I promised thee
wh cu f said t11at T wou1<1 bO'Jve thee the .__,trerm of David.
1Au t ogr ap hi c L ife, c h. LXXX.

'l'I-I E I"'AS'l' PEUIOD OF WAI'l'ING

217

I haYe lodged, planted, established iu thy heart, as in

the l\f other of l\ly Order this most 11oble germ. Admire
these qualities of ineffable tlowers, frnit and germ from
a virginal and divine seed. Consider l\fy love towards thee
and tmyards this Order which is l\fine. \Vhat thon hast
seen is a visible sign of the invisible object. 'l'he angels
admire this new sacrament which I institute by founding
this Order in thy heart before I estabUsh it at Avignon.' m
The very extraordinary vocation of the Foundress of
the Order of the Incarnate 'Yord, was depicted. She was
to belong to His Order, not in tbe same way as others
who would be called to it, but to bear it in her bosom, and
to receive in herself snpereminently, all the graces which
were destined for it. She was to be its l\fother as the
Incarnate Vord wished to be its Father. Now tbat the
. divine plan had reacbed its completion, its prodigions beauty
was ravisbing to contemplate. But when the band of Providence was tracing its mysterious outlines with the cross,
it was not humanly possible to appreciate its admirable
proportions. Its crucifying dispositions could only be snccessively accepted. This is what was being accomplished
when it was decided that l\lother de l\fatel would not take
the habit of the Order in its :fi.rst monastery .
. 'Vhen this important decision had been fixed, it was
. thought l\lother l\largaret Gibalin would be the rnost capable to take the place of the l\f other Foundress in the direction of the new couvent. The sacrifices which she hac.1
made, especially in taking off the religious habit to respond
to the call of the Incarnate 'Vord, demanded that she should
be among the first to be clothed in His holy livery. She
was noti:fi.ed by a letter to corne with Sister l\Ialacher
without delay to Lyons. Great was the surprise at first
and the dissatisfaction fotcr on, when neither the first
missive nor the reiterated and even severe commands which
followed, received any response.
'Vhile
this misunderstanding was giving cause for of,
fence at. Lyons, the poor exiles of Paris were fin ding it
1A utographi c Life , c h. LXXXI.

218

Llli'IG OF .JEANNE CHEZ.ARD DE l\1ATEL

ifficnlt to brar the inivation whieh they believcd had

been imposed npon thern hy a silence of threc rnonths. 'ro
remedy this situation, they had three l\fasses celebrated
at the tlrnrch of Our Lady of Glad ':l"'idings, and, afterwards they th011ght of going to the post office to inqu~e
if some letters had anived for them. 'l"'hey then learned
that lette1s for them had been accumulating on the arriva!
of every mail, but as the agent, who had been instructed
to transmit them to the Sisters was absent from Paris,
no one knew where to forward their correspondence.
As soon as l\fother l\fargaret became aware of the orders
enjoined, she hastened her departure to compensate, as
far as possible, for her involuntary delay. l\fother Fleurin
was left to promote the Paris founda tion which was still
in a tangled condition.
During the journey, the irreconcilable enemy of the
Incarnate V\Tord, after having already done so mnch to
hinder the establishment of His Order, tried to destroy
the life of her who ""'as to be its first daughter. 'l"'he cardage in which she traveled was overturned upon l\f other
Margaret. Its wejght was sufficient to have killed her. She
'vas believed to be dead, but to everyone's astonishment when
she was removed from under the wreck, it was found that
she had not been in the least hurt. "Something," she says,
"'like an invisible hand held up the vehicle to prevent it
from crushing me.m 'rhcy finally arrived safely at Lyons
where they were cagerly awaited.
After 80me days devoted to rcceiving the final instructions of l\1othe1 de l\fatel and ber unclc, Father Gibalin,
l\Iother 1\1 argarct depnrtcd for Avignon, with Sisters 'feresa
Gibalin, Jeanne Fiot, and l\fmy l\falacher. 'l"'hey arrived
on the fcast of A 11 Saints, Novcmber 1, 163D, not 'vithout
incurring new dangers. 'rhey fonnd everybody so well disposed towards them fat, after a few negotiations, the last
dif'ficulties wc1c rcmovcd. 'l'hc Hcvercnd l\fother Foundress
was thcn summoncd to concl ndc the arrangements.
Far from wishi11g to p1ofit by the ways opencd ,to her
by Providence to wi thdl'aw hcrself from the jurisdiction
llli s tory of th e origin of th e Or<ler of the Incarnate "'ord.

THE LAST PERIOD OF W AITING

219

of her own Prelate, Mother de Matel, as we have seen, had

asked his permission to go to Avignon to found a monastery
there. She wished also to receive his blessing before undertaking the journey but was obliged to renounce this desire. Father Gibalin had engaged places on the boat which
was to leave the next day. I t was necessary to embark.
She says in he~ Autographie Life (Chapter LXXXI), "Seeing that it was Your will that I should go to Avignon,
I begged Father Gibalin to learn whether that journey
was pleasing to His Eminence. ~rhat Father having informed me of the permission of His Eminence, I desired
to receive his blessing, also before leaving Lyons, but the
persb wllo had been asked to arrange an audience brought
me no reply. That same day, Fathers Mazet and Gibalin
were passing by the wharf near the bridge, when they
met an agent who was looking for travelers to Avignon.
They agreed on the price and immediately came to tell
me that I must leave the next day at eight o'clock in the
morning. They thus deprived me of the blessing which
I greatly desire_d from His Eminence. They said that I
must be content with the permission received and promptly
depart to establish my Order. "vVe left Lyons," she writes,
"on N ovember 17, 1G39, Prior Bernardon,1 Sisters Mary
N allard, Frances Gravier and myself-although I was qui te
ill, for I did not wish to resist obedience to Your inspirations, _I had great confidence in St. Gregory, the Wonder
YVorker, whose feast it was. I hoped he wonld remove the
mountains of opposition which would be raised against this
establishment. He did so.m
1 The veneration inspired by Mother de Ma t el in M. Bernrdon, Prior
of St. Denis, made him her faithful companion in all her journeys during which he celebrated Mass and gave her Holy Communion every day.
He was the conf essor of the bouse of Lyons for forty years, serving gratis
in spiritual and temporal matters.
2Autographic Lif e, ch. LXXXI.

CHAPTER XIII
F oundation of the First Monastery of the Order of the
Incarnate Word

1639
On Montlay, November 21, 1639, feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, l\1other de l\1atel landed at
Avignon. The city was in festal array for the accomplishment .of a vow. A sa lute of artillery welcomed her arrival.
Her ingennous piety caused her to exclaim: "Love, this
eity has no thought of the entry Yon are making into it
at the present moment. But I be.g Yon to accept these rejoicings in honor of Your new establishment.m She entered the city by the gate which leads to Our Lady of
the Domes. The first spectacle which presented itself to
her sight was the rock on whose side there rises, with the
imposing palace of the Popes, the ancient metropolis of
Our Lady. She immediately recognized this rock as that
on which St. Peter appeared in a standing posture some
months before, when he promised her to take care of the
found_ation of the Order of the Incarnate Word and to prote.et all its daughters. This view filled her soul with confidence and joy. Mother de l\1atel thanked her adorable
Guide, for baving led ber into the territory of the Prince
of the Apostles to place her infant Institute under his protection. She wended her way towards Our Lady's sanctuary
wherc she had a Mass said in thanksgiving and commended
i o the divine l\fother the great work which she had corne
to accomplish, begging Mary to present hei to the Lord
with the virginal offering which she had made of herself
on that day. After lrnving adored in spirit her Beloved
in all the tabe1llaelcs of the city, having salnted the guardm an gel s of earh one of its sanctnnries and its inhabitants,
:-dtc commcnded hcrsclf to their p1otPetion, and then pro<<P<lcd to join hel' dauglitenL
1A uto g ruphic Li fc, c h. LXXXI.

220

FOUNDATION OF THE FST l\IONAS'.rERY

221

The news of her arrival spread quickly. The most distinguished personages of the city soon came to visit her,
offering their services with such zeal and veneration that
the good l\fother was abashed. Her grateful soul poured
itself out in ardent supplications to Our Lord begging Him
to recompense the piety of these people. Severa} years
afterwards she described the welcome which had been given
ber and she again cried ont: '"Dearest Love, reward them
a hundredfold, because of their love for Your glory. Yon
'Yho are the magnificent rewarder, give them all eternal
life in Heaven after a long life on earth. I hope for this
from Yon, 0 my Divine Love.m
11 he devotedness of the l\farchioness of Veclene was the
most remarkable. She presented the Foundress to the ViceLegate who expressed the greatest benevolence and granted
her the Bull for the establishment of the new monastery.
she exerted herself in interesting in the pious enterprise,
all the authorities on whom its execution depended. rrhe
City Council ancl the Vicar General, who was the administrator of the diocese, had already been won over to favor
the work. l\fr. de Salvador, the City Treasurer, was alone
in making any opposition. He considered that the affair
was being conclucled too rapidly and came to see l\Iother
de l\fatel, asking a delay of tbree months. She replied:
"If this delay had been deemed necessary, I should have
been noti:fied of it in writing while I was at Lyons where
I could have waited." 2
When ber visitor retired, she had recourse to prayer
ponring out the pain in her soul, into the heal't of her Beloved. After so many successive delays, she sR\v a new
one arise at the moment wh.en she believed they had ended.
Her Spouse so full of love replied to ber: "l\fy daughter,
courage: lllulicr CllJn varU) tristitia m lrnbet) quia venit
hora ejus: cum aute11i peperit puenun, jam non mcminit
pressurae propter gaudiwn quia natus est homo in mundnm.
''A woman when ~he is in labor hath sorrow, becanse her
time i~ corne: bnt whcn she ha th lJI'onght fortlt the child,
1Autographic Life, ch. LXXXII .
2Ibidem.

222

LIFE li, ,JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

shc remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a mau

is born into the world.m My daughter, the time has corne
for thee to give l\1e to the world. In a little while, thou
sha lt be joyous at having brought Me forth anew.m
While Our Lord was thus consoling His spouse, l\1r.
de Salvador returned to his home, but feeling uneasy in
his conscience knelt down at the feet of his crucifix, to
consult God on the course he should take in this conjuncture.
Interiorly reproved for the obstacles which he had attempted to place in the way of the accomplishment of a
design which was dear to Our Lord, he arose from his
prayer, resolved henceforth to favor the project with all
his power. The urging of Madame de Salvador who had
seen Mother de l\f atel only once, but had been penetrated
with veneration for her, added a stimulus to his zeal. The
next day, he called a meeting, in the College of the J esuits,
for the purpose of deciding the question of this establishment. The assembly was composed of the Vicar General,
the City Council, l\fr. de Salvador, doctors of theology,
Fathers Guesnay and Donyol. Their suffrages were unanimously favorable; l\lr. de Salvador himself sent l\f other de
l\1atel the announcement that the establishment had been
approved.
The Constitutions which were to be observed by the
Heligious of the I ncarua te \Vord, had been lengthily and
pionsly drawn up by the Foundress. She had drafted their
fllst sketch cven before leaving the home of her pments. 3
'l'hc Yicar General, M. Al aman, named as its censors, a
1John, XVI, 21.
2Autographic Life, c h. LXXXII.
3Mother de Bly inserted in her 1Vritings and signed the following
important declaration :
"The Statutes obs crved hy the Order of the Incarnate '\Vord and
BlessNl Sacrament, were drawn up lJy our Reverend l\lfother Jeanne
Ch czard de Matel, accon1ing to the first c1raft. which she hers elf had
made before she le ft h er hom e. But her c1irector, who was the guardian
of l10r pious intentions, and th e othcr p ersons who wcre cleputc<1 to have
U1is work printed, forgot to mention, with regard to the Stntutcs and also
the c u s tom -lJooJ( and th e ceremonial, details which arc so important and
<o nsoling for all the H c ligi ous of om Ordcr, who, for the most part arc
ignorant of thorn, that I have clccmcd it my duty to repair this over8ight. r_rh o approval of the above said Statutcs is also due to the care of
the nevcrend Moth er Foundrcss, who obtained it five days before the
establi shment of the Monastcry of Avignon.-Sister Jane de Bly.

I'OUNDA1'ION

Oli~

TITE

FS'J~

l\lONASTERY

223

committee of theologians who declared: ''The sa id rnles and

constitutions coutain nothing coutrary to the dec1ees of
the sacred Council of ~rrent, the holy Canons 01 the Apostolic ordinances, and shonld be a1Jproved and nntho1ized.m
In consequence of this testimonial, the diocesan authority of Avignon approved the said Rules and onstitutions
on December 1, 1639, while waiting for the Roly See to
confirm this approval by its snpreme authority, which took
place five years later, under the pontificate of Innocent
X, November 16, 164-4. 2
Therefore there was nothing left to be done but to
put the final touches to the work. Monsignor Philonardi,
the Archbishop of Avignon, was absent from his diocese,
. as legate to the Court of Poland. The Foundress wished
that the hands of Monsignor Cohon, Bishop of Nmes, should
consecrate the first stones of the temple which she was
going to build to the glory of the Incarnate 'Vord. This
prelate had known l\fother .de l\fatel during her sojourn
at Paris, when he was filling the office of Preacher before
the King, as l\1other de l)ly relates: "From his first interviews with her, he Lad become very devout to the mystery of the Incarnation." 'l'he veneration which she had
inspired in him, made him desirous of rendering her service. 3
'l'lrns, when he received her message informing him of
her early future establishment at Avignon and of the satisfaction which would be afforded her by his giving the veil
1Approbation of the Most Reverend and Illustrious Arcl1bishop of
Avignon: Pices justificatives. Note C.
2Confirmation of the Constitutions, Pices justificatives~ Note D.
3The following letter addressed by the Bishop of Nmes to Father
Gibalin, on June l, 1637, shows his sentiments towards Mother de Matel:
"Those who are thwarting the zeal of your holy daughter, who is also
mine, by covering themselves with my name to attack her virtues, are
making a wicked snare out of their own .malice and calumniation.
I have never spoken of her except in the spirit that every one should
reap fruit from her intelligence and piety. If I have shown some of her
Ietten.; to others to whom tll ey were not adclressed, my only purpose has
been to draw all to admire her and to make even her enemies confess
that in her there is nothing human or earthly, since in all that she says
and does, it is easy to r ecognize the g-uirlan<'e of H('aven. \Vha t more can
I say to you? I have seen h er only at moments, and I remember her
every day of my life, as a creature in whom God has made me see the
qualities which are so rare and so worthy of Himself, that, in my judgment, He alone can be worthy of her. Assure her that I esteem and love
her dearly and that I will persevere in the exertion of all my efforts for
the success of her work and that wherever she is, I will be ber advo cate.
At an early date I will give ber this assurance under mY own hand, which
will not be bclicd by my heart."

224

LIFE OF JEANNE CH:EZARD DE l\'IATEL

to her fhst fivc daughters, he immediately accedecl to her

wishes.
':rhe day after he1 arrival at Avignon, Monsignor Cohon
came to sec her, in the company of the principal magistrates of the city, and said to her: "My daughter, I have
corne immecliately, with the intention of being of service
for this establishment. But I have learned from these
gentlemen, that yon have obtained all that you desire.
T am very glad of this, and I thank these gentlemen and
all the city that I see wholly inclined in your favor. See,
my child, how the Incarnate vVord verified what He promised you.
I assure you that I will not leave this city
un til this Order has been established.m
During the search for a suitable d welling, an incident,.
simple of itself, was an occasion for Our Lord to make
known to Mother l\fargaret Gibalin His divine predilection
for the venerable Foundress, and the entire submission
which she owed her. Several places had been indicated
to them as possibly suitable for the uses of a commnnity.
'Vhen 1\'fother de Matel and l\fother l\fargaret visited those
sites, it happened that their appreciations did not ag1ee.
'l1his diversity of opinion did not occasion any act that
was reprehensible. 'l1he daughter used terms of sincere
respect, in expressing to her l\fother the reasons which she
believed her experience furnished and which did not agree
with the supernatural views of the latter. But the Divine
1\faster wished the :first religions of the Order to be, more
than any other, penetrated witl;t esteem for the dignity
and snpereminent privileges of the venerable Foundress.
'Vhen 1\fother Margaret was at prayer, she felt her~clf elevated to God,. in a manner which she acknowledged
to be inexpressible. In this state He showed her that
she must never oppose the least desire of her whom He
had chosen from among all, to be the l\.fother of His Order,
but that she must dcfer to her and obey her at all times.
Sister Margaret in her humility and fidelity immediately
1Autographic Life, ch. LXXXII.-It was on December 4, that the
Bishop of N im cs addrcssed these olJliging words to Mother de Matel,
and although th e housc which was to shelter th e new R e ligious was able

to rec0ive them onl y eleven days later, he kept his promise.

f'OU2'\D_'..Tl0;'\ OF' 'l'HE F'InST MONASTEUY

225

"ent and cast herself at the feet of l\fother de Matel sayiug how she regretted having shmYn any opinion contrary
to bers and how, for the future, she was i;esol ved to sac1ifice all her own vimys and desires to those of her :\lothc1-.
~rhe goodness of the Blessed Virgin took care to recompense this generous lrnrnility. The following day, between
three and four o 'clock, in the morning, she appeared to
Sister Jlargaret. Her features were divinely beautiful and
majestic. She looked tenderly at her and said: "My daughter, it is I "ho am the true :Mother of the Order of the
Incarnate \Vord, and I have hastened its establishment
through pure charity and for love of you.m l\lother Margaret was transported witb joy, and threw herself at the
feet of the Queen of Heaven to thank her. But at the same
instant the vision disappeared. Sister Mary Nallard was
s.l eeping next to her. She heard her companion speak, and
then saw her on her knees, while she felt her own soul imbued with the most extraordinary perfume of grace, and
,she asked what had occurred. Sister Margaret replied:
"The most Blessed Yirgin is the true Mother of our Order.
_It is she who is advancing its establishment out of love
for it. Could we not testify our gratitude to her by some
special practices in her bonor?" 2 For that puq)Qse they
agreed to recite every day three Aves and three Glorias,
to which on Saturdays and feast days of the Blessed ::\lother
they would add the 'Pe Dozwi. 3
Not until December 13, could the modest d"Telling "hich
was to be the first monastery of the Order of the Incarna te
'Yord, be vacated by those who occupied it. After a thorough search, no other place was found better suited to be
transformed into an humble chape], than that 'd1ich had
heen nsed as a stable and even this had to be divided and
subdivid.ed. One part was set aside for a sanctuary and
an exterior chapel; the other, separated from the former
1Biography of Motller Margaret of Jesus Gibalin.
2Ibidem.
3All the Order of the Incarnate Word has joined in the pious gratitllCle of the two venerable l\Iothers. The custom of reciting after Tierce
th e above prayers has been perpetuated, in tl1anksgiving for the part
tak en by the Blessed Virgin in its establishment and for the benefits
which her materna! goodness nev er ceases to heap upon it.

22G

LIFE OF .JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE l\I ATEL

by a grille, was divided into two pal'ts of which the upper

hecame the Siste1s' choir, and the lower, also eut in two
hy a partition, wou ld be used as vestibule and parlor. 'r11e
w01thy l\Iothers would have been haJPPY to offer to Our
Lord coming to dwell with them, an abode corresponding
to their love and His greatness. :Cut, another joy, all supernatural, dilated their hearts when they saw that for this
new'" birth which He wished to have by His Order, the Incarnate "\iVord chose a stable as when He was born at
Bethlehem. ~rhe exultation of that joy is felt in the expressions in which the memoirs of the Order relate the
ci rcurnstan ces.
Later on, when a similar abode will also be the first
foothold for the Foundation of Paris, Mother de Matel will
relate it in words which are a song of thanks and love. If,
at the base of all the Institutions with which Our Lord
has endowed His Church, He has wished to place poverty,
that reversa! of human procedures, which marked the beginnings of the great work of the Incarnation, nothing of
all that could be lacking to the origin of the Order which
He destined to be a reproduction of that ineffable mystery.
To place the daughters of the Incarnate Word nnder the
necessity of practicing humility and mortification, was to
establish them in the exercise of the special duties of their
vocation. It was to make them breathe the air which is
to sustain in them that lif of God made man, the air on
which they are called to live.
Two days and two nights were taken np in the final
preparations, for it had be.en decided that December 15,
the Octave of the Immacnlate Conception, should be the day
of the establishment of the Order of the Incarnate Word,
which makes a special profession of honol'ng that signal
pdvilege of the Blessed l\'fotber.
With the extel'ior preparations, they a lso made th ose
which were interio1. Heaven manifested its interest in
the latter. Sister Margaret Gilmli11, overcome by exhaustion, had thrown herself on a bed for a few minutes of
rest. She was awakened by a sweet voice biclding her to
invite n p;odf'athe1 mHl n grnlmothe.r fol' her enfry into re

lj,OUNDATIO N OF THE FIRST l\10NA S'l'ERY

227

ligion. I t said to her: "The Roly S1Jiri t is very ri ch. He

will give you a dowry. The Blessed Mother will take it
on herself to clothe you and furnish you with everything
that is necessary.m She gratefully thanked the Spirit of
I~ove and the divine l\fother for the protection which they
deigned to promise her and, going to her cornpanions, she
suggested to them to choose in Heaven a godfather and
a godmother to protect them in the career on which they
were entering. This each one eagerly did, according to her
own devotion.
\-Vhen morning had corne, Our Lord, before accomplishing the work of ineffable mercy of which He had wished
her to be the instrument, placed the soul of the pions
Foundress in a disposition of rnost holy detachment. I t
was a kind of ecstasy which took her out of herself, to
place her in the bosom of Immortal Truth, and made her
a witness of the great things which God was 'about to
perform. "I felt myself," she relates, "in a state of inexp1icable indifference. I was astonished at the small part
which I was taking in the solemnity. But I admired the
disposition in which You placed my soul which took no
complacency in ail that was being done.
"Your Majesty had sus~pended in me ail feelings of nature and self-love. I had no v.anity and, 0 Incarnate 'Vord,
although I should have been most joyful in seeing Your
promises accomplished, I was without feeling, and said :
'Dear I..iord, it is You Who have done these wonders while
nrnking use of me, the unworthy instrument of Y 01ir goodness to which I give thanks for all that lrns been doe. Your
holy Mother had told me, twenty years ago, that Yon would
do these wonders ail by Yonrself and that I should offer
myself _only for Your will. I have not been a s faithful
as I shonld have been, but l thank Yon for having done
what Yon promised.' " rith ih e Hoyal Pioph et l say t o Yon :2
, '1 1estn Oil ia tua cred ib ilio fo cta s nnt u imis Dom um tua m
dccct S(tn ctitudo Domine in lu11gi t ud incm di cr um . '"l'hy
1B io g rnphi es of th e fir s t H c li g io u s of tll e Inca rna t e \Yord a t Avi g n on.
2Autograplii c Life, c h . L XXX II.
.

228

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD llE l\IATEL

testimonies are become exceedingly credible. Holiness becometh Thy bouse, 0 Lord, unto length of days.m
'Yhen the most solernn moment of the Roly Sacrifice has
arrived, the personality of the priest who offers -it, is effaced, so that only ~J esus is seen. He says through the
priest: "This is My Body, this is My Blood," as He is the
only true Pontiff of His mvn divine oblation and of every
victim acceptable to God. Thus it was at that moment,
'vhen the hour arrived for the accomplishment of His designs, the Incarnate Word intervened and the pious 1\fother
""'as lost in the happiness and the loving power which operated the wonders that she beheld.
A great number of persons were eager to witness the
rare and solemn spectacle of the establishment of a religious
Ortler and the simultaneous clothing of five novices. But
only a select few comprising the City Oouncil and the
most distinguished personages of the city, could be accommodated in that sma11 space. The Bishop of Nmes, assisted
by the Vicar Geperal, blessed the chapel. A large number
of the clergy, among whom was the devoted Father Gibalin,
hacl the joy of being pres~nt. l\fass was celebrated by the
llishop. The venerable l\Iother . assisted at the Roly Sacrifice, buried in ber own nothingness and praying the Incarnate . -nTord to bless and to receive in His five loving
wouncls, the five daughters who were to be clothed with
His livery.
The J esuit, Father J_.ejeune, preached the sermon. The
cloqner~t preacher had been informed of the merit of 1\fothcr
de l\Iatel and of the extraordinary prerogatives with which
Our Lord had enclmved her to rencler her capable of establishing an Order which was an extension of the Incarnation.
He had been fascinated by these wonders. Ile expounded
thern in glowing terms w01th y of thesc prodigics of the divin e me1cy, but pah1fnl to the modeRty of the humble
1\f oth er. mn shes ~m ff11sed hcr fn~ e a11d sadness filled her
11eait . Rhe nbn8P<l nrnl mrnihilate<l hen~;plf in -her sonl.
Pinall y s hc conld bear it no 1011gc1. She prostrated her-
~e lf ~li- the foot of the altar, to li ide her~elf from the gaze
1 P s,

X C lT , 7.

FOUNDATION OF THE FIRST MONAS'l'ERY

229

of the audience which was fixed intently on her whom

Our Lord had so highly favored. 'Yhen relating the pain
she then suffered, she cries out: "0 God, who is there that
having any common sense left, would not fe.el covered with
sfiarne. I was exposed to the gaze Of a multitude and I
had to listen to. such extraordinary praise of myself that
my sadness became insupportable. I threw myself on the
ff oor beside the altar, in order to hide myself from the
view of the assembly that took pity on me and wanted to
call out to the Father to spare me.m
The sermon ended, the Vicar General read the Bull
of the establishment. The Bishop then proceeded to the
ceremony of investiture. He wished l\fother de l\fatel to
aid him in clothing her daughters with the religious habit.
He said : "l\foses was not a priest, yet he consecra ted
priests by the power which was conferrecl upon him by
the ~pecial mission which he received from God." 2
The novices received first the tunic of white serge, which
was to recall to thern the purity and innocence of their
adorable Spouse, and also the white garment with which He
was clothed in derision and which His love bequeathed
to them. 3 They were girdecl with a cincture of red leather,
in memory of the cords which bound the divine Lamb and
were tinged with His Blood at the pillar. The cincture
is also a symbol of the love which must closely unite them
to Him . . The large recl scapular was then placecl over their
shoulders. I t reaches to the hem of the clress and has,
over the bosom, a crown of thorns, in the middle of which
is marked the N ame of J esus above a heart pierced by three
nails and containing the words: Am or meus. The whole
is embroidered with blue silk, in honor of the Blessed
l\fother. This scapular, as the Incarnate vVord informed
His confidaute, should recall to the gratitude and generosity of His daugh ters, His bloocly cross. The crown of
thorns placed ove1 thejr heait, should rernind them of His
1Autographic Life, ch. LXXXII.
2Biographies of tl1e first Religious of the Monastery of Avignon.
3The assemb ly was charmed with the beauty of this new religious

costume and after the ceremony, begged Mother de Ma tel to explain Hs

symbolism.

We here give the summary of her explanation.

230

Lrn,E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

dolorous diadem and also the jealous care with which they
must seal up in themselves, the treasure of tbeir sufferh1gs. The N ame of J esus is placed like a seal u pon their
heart, to guard it for Him. The heart pierced with nails,
in whose center are inscribed the "~ords, Amor mens) reminds them of the sacrifice which thev
.., . shonld make of
their own hearts, hy mol'ti.ficatiou, in order to render them
the worthy abode of their Divine Sponse.
The betrothed of the Incarnate ''rord 1mt on red shoes,
to recall His transpierced feet and to accept the invitation
to tread with Him the wine press of His holy love. The
guimpe, the bandeau, and the
,~eil
completed the religious
habit.
At their profession, they
we1e to replace, by the black
veil, the white veil of the no\~
ices and to receivc the red mantle, the memorial of the derisory purple of their Royal
Spouse and His all-powerful
protection with which He had
promised to cover them. Tha t
the
transformation of their
Escutcheon of the 8capular
of the Sisters of the
whole selves into Jesus might
Incarnate \:Vord.
he the more complcte, thcir
rnlrne~ in the wmld were changed into religions names .
. Hargaret Gibalin becnmc Sister Mmgnret of ~Jesus; Mmy
Nallard, Sister l\'Im.r of the Roly Ghost; Teresa Gibalin,
8istel' 'l'eresa of .J esus; Jane J1.,iot, Sis ter Jane of the rassi on; Mary Malacher, Sister Mary of St ..Joseph.
'l'his exte1i01 ti-a11sfo1mation of the five happy novices
was lrnt a Rymhol of 011c more impo1-tnnt- lmt more difficnlt
whi<'.h wm~ fo he w1ou;ht- in the iJif-p1io1 of' tlteir souls mH]
w:t~ 1o 11;rn ~ f'mrn (] H'm ~o pc1f'<<i ly in 1o .J <\:-;u~ i ha t the y
wo11 l<l het:ornc h<t P helow 11 i~ ('lrn-i<'l"( ~opieR, so tha t the
Etem:tl FdlH~ 1 e0111<1 ~ty in hles:--;ing them: "'r11is i~, iI1dce<l~
My l>el\'ed Son iu 'Vhom I am wcll pleased."

FOUNDATIO"N" OF THE FIRST ~IO~ ASTERY

231

Such was the lleal to be attainecl. 'l'he means of reaching i't were clefinecl in the Corn;;titntious which the Vicar
General hacl lately a pproved, after the excellent testimonial
giyen by the commis~ion which had exam inecl it. ~rhe ceremony being oyer, he returned it to the ne'Y 1eligious and
recommendecl its exact observance. After having blessed
them again, he declared that the cloister was henceforth in
force.
The first monastery of the Order of the Incarnate 'Yord
was founded.
-n"'"hat must haYe been the joy of these fervent novices
when the gate of the cloister was closed upon them, and
they saw themselYes in the peaceful possession of the happiness which they had so ardently longed for and so long
awaited ! 'Yi th what gratitude and loye their heart must
have over11mYe-d tmYards that 'Vord of God macle man -nr110
had clothed them the very first with His holy liYer~~ ! 'Vhat
manifestations of gratitude and sympathy they must have
given to the venerable "l\lother, who, after receiYing from
the hand and heart of her Divine Spouse this blessed livery,
had made a gift of it to them, "~ithout herself being clothed
in it. She macle this great sacrifice with the humility and
submission of a saint. ''You are now clothed," she said,
"in the habit of the Order of the Incarnate -nT ord, but as
for me, I am deprived of it in spite of my ardent longing.
It is no small mortification for me; but God well knows
that it is for His glory that I must suffer. His will be
done.m
At the moment when this sacrifice was consummated,
Our Lord took care to rcveal the secret of His extraordinary
conduct towards her. Tt was to the eyes of the seraphic
j[other Elizabeth Grasseteau that He raised the veil of
the mystery. She also shared the privation of the Foundress,
renouncing the ha ppiness of receiving the religions habit,
and had rernained at Lyons to govern the Congregation.
At the moment of the investiture of the five first Mothers,
Jfother Elizabeth Grasseteau had a raptnre in which all
L\utogr aph ic Life, ch. LXXXII.

232

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\1ATEL

that was being accomplisbcd at Avignon, was shown her.

She knew what joy was given to Heaven by this admiiable
exterisiou -of the Incarnation. She saw with what love the
august Trinity blessed the humble Foundress who had borne
in her heart for twenty years the sacred Order, to which
she gave. birth on that day. The Incarnate Word said to
ber: ~~My daughter, thy Mother is 1\fy well-beloved. I delight in her humiliations, which later will raise her to the
glory to which I have destined her. She is My elect and
chosen one." "Dear I. . ord," asked the pions Sister, "when
\Vill she become a religions?" J esus replied: "I have not exhausted the plenitude of the graces and blessings of My goodness which is immense. When I clothe her in l\iy livery, I
will pour out My graces on her in profusion. In the meanwhile, I cover her with the mantle of 1\fy protection as My
cherished spouse. But up to that day, I will pierce her
with a sword, by making her a sharer in My sufferings.m
The entire life of the Foundress was sketched in these
words, and, like the sword foretold by the aged Simeon, the
sword, which was announced to the venerable Sister on that
day of a new Presentation, was to cause unspeakable pain.
l\:Iother de Matel considered them only in the light of Heaven, where the sufferings of the present life are seen to bear
no proportion to the glory which is prepared to recompense
them. 'Ve shall follow the favorite of the Incarnate vVord
on her way of the cross, but we shall love to bear in mind
that she walked in that way after Him and by His express
desire.
All the care of announcing at Lyops what had been
accomplished at Avignon was not left to Heaven alone. 'I1he
following are the humble and pions terms in which l\Iother
de Matel speaks of it to the daughters of the Congregation.
"My most dear Sisters and danghters in J esus Christ:
I embrace yon all in the divine Reart 1 which St. 'l"homa~
found his faith, his happiness, and his life. Have I not
reason to confcss with that great A postle, that the Incarnate \Vord is our faitlt for has He uot accomplished His
promises? Have I not an obligation to p1oclaim that He
1Biography of Mother Elizabeth Grasseteau.

FOUXDATIOX OF THE FIRST ~IOXA.STERY

~33

is our life? The Son and the :.\lother of fair lo-rn have
"Wrought these "-onclers alone, in spite of my numerous infidelities, for which I beg their pardon and "Which I desire
to expiate with the aid of their gTace. I ha\e eafren to ID\
BeloT'ed. \dth all my affection,. :ffre daughters, as the :first
fiTe portions of His heritage. Indeed the Incarnate \\~ ord
desires us to be His heritage as He Himself wishes to be
ours. This ineffable fayor obliges us all to a hioh deoTee
of perfection "-hich He alone c~n gi\e. He "Will ~ot refuse
it. if "-e corresr>ond to His f~n-ors and to our \Ocation. I t
is to this that I exhort you. Abo\e all,. pray that I myself,
by His mercy. may be such as He comrnancls me to be, ail
for Him as He is all for me. :.\ly most clear daughters, this
is the desire of :-our most affectionate :.\lother,
~

J EA.XXE

DE :JI.HEL.

:ATignon. December 21, 1639. ~'

The following is \Yhat she "-rote to the Abb of SaintJust:
.;I most humbly salute you in the Heart of the Incarnate
\Yord. \\-ho rnakes me exclaim with the great St. Paul : '0
the depth of the riches of the ~isclom and of the knowledge
of Gocl '. Ho"- incomprehensible are His juclgrnents, and how
unsearchable His ways : To Hirn all honor and glory. I
am in a state of joy and sharne. after seeing "-hat the right
hancl of the Almighty has wished to do at A-dgnon, after
inT'iting me, through the Prince of the Apostles, to found
there the first rnonastery of His Order. To triumph in this
second Rome. He has chosen the least of His daugh_ters. He
has erectecl His throne on the lowness of my in:firmities,. in
order to sho"- that He uses the weak to confouncl the strong.
and that He reYeals to the lmdy what He hides from the
great. It is for this that the Incarnate \\~ ord thanks His
Father, becau~e such has been Hi~ pleasure.
"To sa tisfy His desires. I haYe consented to be cleprhed
of the holy habit. 'd1ich f-e of my daughters recefred on the
Octa-\e of the Immaculate Conception to the unfrersal joy
of the citizens of that city which shows us inexplicable cordiality. Since I am lm,Yorthy of the fa\or which has been

234

LIFE OF JE..:\NNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

granted to my daughters, I shall suffer this humiliation as

long as it shall be the pleasure of the goodness of Him in
\Vhose hands is my lot, as was that of David. Pray that
He may reign over our hearts, since He i"S their King and
their Spouse. In His love, I am n1y Father Director's
Most humble and obedient servant,
JEANNE DE MATEL/'

\Vhen granting the Bull for the establishment of the monastery of Avignon, the Vice Legate had said to l\Iother de
:M atel, that as he himself could not stay in that city, he
clesired her to rernain there long enough to train her novices
in the sphit and duties of their vocation. This task was
already far advanced. God and herself had labored at it
for many years. Nevertheless, she set about obeying and
devoted herself especia1Jy to frying Sister Margaret of
J esus, on whom all the success of the foundation was to
depend. She had lived with her only a short time and
wished to assure herself if the soliclity of her virtue e,qualled
her talents and natural and supernatural eildowments. She
soon had the consolation of seeing that her high reputation
for humility, self-denial, and obedience was far below the
reality. From that tiiile, she had a glimpse of the fruits
of sanctity which would be borne by this first branch springing from the sacred germ whicli had been planted in her
own heart by Our Lord.
The four companious of l\lother l\Iargaret of J esus were
likewise eminent religions. Sister l\fary of the Roly Ghost
Na llard, a native of Lyons, had been one of the first su bjccts admitted into the Gongregation. She was de.s tined
to render disti ngn iRhed se1vices to her Order, especially
in the fonndation of the monaste1y of Paris, of which she
was the first Snpcl'oress. At an early age~ she had made
a vow always to do wha t she bel ieved to he most pcrfect.
Her charac1e1iidic vil'tlle was profonnd and si11cere hnmilit-y, whi ch 11rn<le her alway~ t-ake for hciself what was lowliest aIHl most painfnl, flll(l to ren<ler to others all the services i11 her powel'. Thence she was oftcn known by the
11ames of : tlt c yood 1lfot7HT) lh c lwly ltl othcr.

FOUNDATION OF THE FIRST l\IONASTERY

235

Sister Teresa of Jesns Gibalin had imitated the heroism

of her cousin, l\fother l\fargaret of J esus, in responding
to the call of the Incarnate 'Yord. She was later selected
by Mother de l\Ia tel to 'York for the foundation of the
monastery of Grenoble. After remaining there seven years,
she retnrned to the honse of her profession where she edified all during thirty years of her angelic life. Monsignor
Suarez, who had long been ber director, assures us that
she had preserved ber baptismal innocence, and he called
fier " a soul who was all grace."
Sister Jeanne of the Passion Fiot, was a daughter of the
Procnrator of Villefranche, near Lyons. From her early
childhood, she hacl shown a strong inclination for the religions life, and had aspired to enter an Order in which she
would be clothed in white and red. She had been assured
by an intuition of grace that this Order was to exist and
that she would find it some day. She had been led by
Divine Providence to an acqnaintance with the l\fother
Fonndress, and had bonnd herself to her irrevocably.
Neither the strong objections of her father who wished to
settle ber in the world, nor the defections occasioned by
the refusals of the Cardinal, had been able to break her
resolve. She was one of those who were the most eager
to make the vow of stability in 1G35. Thus she was selectecl
to be one of the first five to take the habit of the Incarnate
\Vord. She was temporarily sent from the monastery of
Avignon, to participate in the lalwrs for the fonndation
of Paris and Grenoble, lmt retnrned to the couvent of her
profession, where, for many years, she gave an example
of all virtues, especially of lrnmilit;y and charity.
Sister Mary of St. ~Joseph :Malaeher had followed l\lother
Margaret from the Ursuline Couvent of Malzieu to Lyons
and had bcen her companion in her four years of exile at
Paris, and \Yas nmv her. companion in happiness. Afterwards, she was called, by her office of Mistress of Novices,
to co-opera te in he1 w ork hy ha in i ng in the rel igious life
and the spirit of the Incarnate 'Yord, the souls \Vhom that
Di vine l\foster destined for the monastery of Avignon. This
fe1vent religions labored with snch zeal and success that

23G

LIU'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\:IATFJL

she peopled the couvent with saints. She died there in

the odor of sanctity, after a career which was completed
too soon for the desires of those who were deprived, by her
death, of the edification afforded by her heroic virtues and
'vho, in the history of her life, loved to call her their
scraphfo Sister.
One of the aims of the nascent Institute was the education of young girls, and especially of those whom a premature call inclined to the religions life. When ardent
love for the Incarnate vVord urges some among them to
consecrate themselves to that divine King, at an age which
is too tender to make it possible to accede to their aspirations, the Constitutions permit them to receive the little
Habit of Sisters of the Child Jesits. This favor, without
depriving them of their liberty, disposes them to make use
of it in conformity with the designs of God upon them.
The most Christian and influential families hastened
to confide the education of their daughters to these religions who inspired them wHh such sympathy. These young
souls, after their entry into the monastery, were often so
impregnated with the atmosphere of sanctity which they
breathed, that they were impelled with the desire to vie
with their venerated mistresses in their generosity and
their love for J esus. W e see tears of tenderness in the
too short recital of their ingenious fervor by the Annalist
of the beginnings of the monastery of Avignon.
One example must sufce to illustrate the spontaneousness, energy, and divine inspiration in those desires of perfection and of the religions life, which would be deemed
premature if the future did not demonstrate that they were
the effect of an abundance of extraordinary graces.
Laura de Serviere, only daughter of the first Consul of
Avignon, was only eight years old at the time of the foundation of the monastery. One month after, she was received
as a boarder by Motber de l\f atel herself.
~"'here is no doubt that the saintly l\fother called down
on that child the spccial blcssings of the Incarnate Word,
in rcturn foi the protection given to lier work by her noble
parents. The spiritcd and charming li ttle girl had passed

FOUNDATION OF THE FIRST l\lONASTERY

23'7

only a few days in the convent when she spoke of nothing

but her desire of becoming a sponse of the Incarnate -nT ord,
and of receiYing the habit of the little Sisters of the Child
J esus. This favor could be granted her only with the consent of her parents. Madame de Serviere, although very
pious, was unwilling to consent, for any consideration.
Laura was her only daughter.
In vain the child renewed her supplications, until one
clay she got an idea that she would not be detained in the
world if she were disfigured. She climbed up stairs and,
taking a pair of scissors, she eut off her blonde locl whose
wa-ving curls added a great charm to her remarkable beauty.
As was to be e:x:pected, this e:s:pedient of the poor little
one had for resnlt, a still more e:s:plicit assurance that
she woulcl . ne,Ter be given the permission which she had
tried to take by force. But reprimands coulcl not shake
ber resolution, and delays failed to wear out . her constancy. After two years of waiting, she thought of obtaining from Heaven what had been refused her on earth.
W'th this end in view, she made three novenas : one to
J esus suffering; another to the Blessed Sacrament; the
third to the Blessed Mother. "'\Yhen they were encled her
parents agreed to grant her desires. They hoped that once
in possession of the object of her pra:rers, her ardor would
cool. But this was not true in her case.
This little Sister ~Iaria Teresa of Calvar:y, who was
only ten years old, ~fter being clothed wi th the religions
habit, yearned with the heroism of a saint, for all that
is most difficult in the practice of virtne. She was ingenious
in taking advantage of every opportunity to modify herself, and insisted on being permitted to perform, .. in public,
acts of penance and humility. yvhen a fault had been committed without its author being discovered she adroitly
presented herself to be benefited by its punishment. One
day she found a branch broken from a vine, and she took
it to her room to make others believe that she was the culprit. She was confronted by one of her companions who
wished to know if she had really committed that fault
and hmv she would accept the reprimand. She replied :

238

LJFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE MA.TEL

"Our Lord has filled my soul with such great consolation

that I would love to share it with all my Sisters, to encourage them more and more in the practice of humility."
'l'he Incarnate "'\Vord recompensed the generosity of His
little lover with a gift of prayer which was extraordinary
for her age. The happiest recreations of the fervent child
were those in whi_h she could inspire its relish and teach
its method to some one of ber companions. Love for God
and contempt for the world increased every day in thnt
child of g1ace, and decided her to make in secret the vnw
of chastity and the vow to live and die in the Order of the
Incarna te W ord. Her parents were still opposed to th i 8.
Nothing less than a miracle was needed to obtain tbeir consent. J esus did not refuse it to this innocent and generons
soul, and to the confiding intervention of the .F oundress.
Among the pe.rsons who reaped blessings from Mother
de l\fatel's presence and her work Mr. de Bly and bis family
held the first rank. This noble gentleman lived careless
of his religious duties and followed no rules of life except
the laws of honor and the maxims of the world. After his
conversations with l\fother de l\fatel, his mind became so
illumined and his heart so touched with the truths of faith,
thnt he was changed into another man. His conversion
was as solid as it had been sudden. He devoted himself
thenceforward to the practice of all Cliristian virtues and
especially of prayer, of which he received an eininent gift.
He also acquired a love for the virtue of penance, and
practiced severe austerities. He often fasted on bread
and water, especially during Lent and Advent. This
fervent couvert became so avid of suffering that bis most
vehement desire was to find an opportunity to suffer some
great trial in the service of God. He took as his device:
lncrease of crossc8; and to signify this, he replaced the
dolphins on his coat of arms by crosses and added a crescent. 'Vhen he ame to visit the religions of the Incarnate Word,
he entertained them only with discourses on the happiness
of their vocation and on the love of J esus and His cross.
He spoke with such zeal and conviction tbat his words
were said by them to be as profitable to theil' souls as

FOUXDATIOX OF THE FIRST

~IOXASTERY

23D

conferences of a \enerable spiritual father. On solemn

feasts, he took down the tapestries from the walls of his
apartments and sent them with all that he most prized to
the chapel of the little monastery, which he delighted in
adorning with his own hands.
")fr. de Bly had his si:s:: daughters educatecl at this conYent. Three of them, and more than twenty of his relatives,
ernbraced the religions life in the sarne Institute. The first
postulant to be enrolled under the standard of the Incarnate \\"" ord, was presented by hirn, shortly after the foundation.
Miss Catherine d' Andre du Yisan, was a niece of the
President of Orange and a godchild of ")fr. cle Bly. She
was twenty-fiT"e years of age. Her nobility, goocl judgrnent,
and distinguishecl intelligence caused her to be sought after
by the best society. She graciously accepted these urgent
nT"itations. But in the miclst of worldly pleasures of. \Yhich
she was fond, she felt herself secretly attracted to the religious life. \\Then she heard of the Order of the Incarnate
\Y ord, her heart was \\On by it, and her decision was taken
irreyocably. This une:s::pected resolution raisecl rnom1tains
of opposition. She O\ercarne them with the energy which
charactcrized her and, after hRving earnestly solicited admission, she was recefred in the new rnonastery, which.
cluring forty years, she was to serT"e in the rnost important
offices and edify by her solid virtues.
At the same time that the Incainate \\""orcl was pouring out with laT"ish hands the blessings of His tenclerness
on His farnily, He continued to work, in the soul of His
dear spouse, that masterpiece of grace and perfection \Yhieh
had been planned by Ris lo-ve.
On the vigil of Christmas, all the little commnnity haY
ing joined their earnest petitions that the good ")fother.
whose health was cau~ing them anxie(c shoulcl take ~orne
iest before the office of the nigh t, ~be yielded. but did not
8leep. Scarcely had she laid herself on her bed. \Yhen the
Incarna te \Yord, to \\""hom :-:he had just gfren a new bi rth.
wished to entertain her delightfnlly ,dth the following consoling mystery. He said to her:

240

LI FE O:F' JEANNE CI-IEZAilD DE l\IATEL

"Thou art My Ruth and I am thy Booz: Thou hast

given Me pleasure by following the counsels of the Virgin,
l\ly l\_fother by nature and thine by adoption. She is the
fair and prudent N oemi to whom thou hast said that thon
~Tilt follow her whithersoever she goeth, that her land shall
be thy land, her people, thy people, and her God, thy God.
'rl10u art corne to Avignon which may also be called Bethlehem, because I have corne there to be born anew, by the
institution of l\fy Order. As Noemi, on seeing the gifts
that Booz gave to Ruth, knew that he would also giye him~elf to her in marriage, and exhorted her to persevere and
hope, l\fy holy Mother kne\\T from the f av ors I bestowed
on thee, that I would gi ve Myself to thee and to My Order,
and this is why she said to thee, that He vVho alone
w orks wonders, would establish His Order, and that thou
shouldst offer thyself entirely to Him. She counseled
thee to corne to find Me in the Sacrament of the
altar, in which are contained the bread of the elect and
the wine germinating virgins, and to say to Me, through
her, that I am thy neighbor, having united l\fyself to hurnan
nature which I assumed in her virginal womb. Thou didst
cast thyself a't My foet, with humility equal to thy confidence in My incomparable goodness, and thon didst beg
Me to spread My mantle over thee. My dear daughter, I
have done this. The red mantle which I have, given thee,
in )fy loving protection, shows that thou art l\fy beloved
spouse. lt is a royal and divine mantle, it is the royal
purple. My daughter, by thus placing thyself under My
blood, thon hast given l\fe pleasure and, if I could, 1ike
Booz, say to thee that this confidence is a second mercy,
I wonld say it to thee, for thon hast left all the established
01ders, to receive from l\Ie the commission to establish
this one, and thon hast remained constant and faithful in
promoting the accomplishmeut of My good pleasnre.
"Seeing him who rcfnscd to establish thee in his diocese,
take off his shoes, that is to say, the claims and affections
wh ich he should have had for Hnth, I have called angels
and men, not to the gate of the city, bnt to Avignon which
is ~Iy ~r('ond nethlehem, i11 order that they may be witllesses

FOUNDATION OF THE FIRST

~IONASTERY

241

that I ha'e espoused thee and I ha'e said to them: ros

inquam cujus rci testes estis. ''Yon are witnesses of this
"thing.m Be assured, J!y daughter, that they say to thee also:
Nos testes sumus: .Faciat Domillus hanc muliereni quae
ingreclitur domum tuani) sic-ut Rachel,. 6t Liam,. quae aedi.ficavenrnt dommn Isra el: -Ct sit e:rcmplllm ,;irtutis in
Ephrata et lwbeat celebre nomcn in Bethlehem. "\Ye are
witnesses. Jlay the Lord make this woman \Yho cometh
into thy house, like .Rachel and Lia. "~ho built the house
of Israel: that she may be an e:xample of vil-tue in Ephrata
::m d rnay haYe a famous name in Bethlehem.'' 2
"My daughter, Jly spouse, our Order, our Houses W'ill
be more a<lmirable than those of Israel. Thou art Rachel
and Lia, thou hast contemplation and action, beauty and
fecundity. Thou owest these fa-vors to Jiy charity and
. to the cares of J!y holy Jiother, the diYine N oemi. I t is
I, the Incarnate \Yord, her Son, W'"hom thou bringest forth
again in the world. Dost thou not think that J!y Father
has cornmanded all the angels to adore J!e in this second
introduction, in which there bas been made an extension
of Jly Incarnation ?m
At this ne"? manifestation of the loye of the \Yord for
the Order and for he1 self~ the soul of J!other de :uatel
melted with happiness and gratitude. ~Jiay all the Blessed
wbo are in the Clrnrch triumphant/' she exclaims, "bless
You, 0 most dear Spouse, because, in Your Church militant
a chilcl bas been born to N oemi. an Order has been instituted which bears the name of Emmanuel. of In carnate
\Yord, of Son of the incomparable one in beauty a~ a daughter, mother, and spouse of Gocl. I thank thee, 0 diYine :X oemi,
who art all fair and spotless. This Order has been born
to honor thy Incarnate Son, and to giYe thee glory. It
professes to honor affectionately thy Immaculate Conce1Jtion. ReceiYe it on thy bosom, nourish it with thy Yirginal
milk, carry it in thy arms, present it to thy Divine Father,
by thy most sacrecl bands. Jfay all the daughters of this
.

Huth T\y , 10.

R11th IY. 11.
Autographie Life, ch. LXXXIII anc1 w'r itings , Yol. II, p. !13S.

242

L'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\IATEL

Orcler be faithfnl se1vants of thy majesty. 0 Qneen of

angels and men, make them rnost humble before God and
in the presence of the Angels and for the edification of
n1en.'' 1
These joys at the foundation of the Order and at the
happiness of having given to her adorable Booz and to her
divine Noemi, the child that was the object of so many
prayers, were followed in Mother de Matel, by suffering
and desolation. A state of interior dryness and darkness,
which was singnlarly painful after the consolations with
which she had been favored, was accompanied by a disease
of the eyes which cansed all to fear for her sight. She
well knew the heart of ber Divine Master and said to Him:
"'Vliat, 0 J__.orcl, do Yon hide Yonrself from me? Have
I not enough in this disease that Yon are inflicting on
my eyes? May I dare to make my corn plaints with the
loving liberty which Yon have always given me? After
You have, by Your grace, established this first monastery
of Your Order in this second Rome, I am affl icted with
blindness. After having seen this establishment, shall I
never see anything else on earth ?" But soon she adds:
"Dearest Love, Your will be done in all things, I subrnit
en tirely .m
J esus could not resist these groaus of the soul which
He cherished. From that moment the ophthahnic pains of
_the good Mother ceased and, as she said, ''if the sweet devoti on which she had had before the establishment of the
Orrler, was not resto1ed to her," the tenderness of her SpouRe
revealed to her the reason for this. He said to her: ''.My
claughter, hast thon forgotten, that mmrna no longei fell,
when the people of Israel were in the P1ornised Land, bccause they enjoyed its fruits? Now that thon art i11 the
land of My 1nomise~, thon art snted with the fruits of My
Order. m
'Yhe11 0111 l.01<1 uUered the~c wors, she wns a8sisting
nt ~Tn~R. \Vhe11 IIe had corne to her sacrmnentn lly by Holy
L \ u tn g ra plii c Li fc , c h. LXXXIl 1.
~ Ihi<l e m .

3Il>icl e m.

FOUNDATION OF THE FIRST MON ASTERY

243

Comnrnnion, He showed her how, in the midst of what

seemed to her to be distress, she was incomparably rich.
Yon eleyated my spirit to Your most angnst Trinity, and
said that Yon wished me to see hmv- the " Thole Trinity was
in my soul in an admirable manner. You told me that these
Three Divine Persons were, beyond comparison, more
precious than all that is in Heaven or on earth. "To thee.
My danghter, it is given to know and to receive the divine
kingdom . The Three Di vine Persons corne into thy soul ,
because God lo-ves those who keep His word. And I am
the Father's \\ . . ord 'Vhom thon keepest in thy mind, in t h:y
heart, and in l\ly Order, wllich is Mine, because it has
been declicated and consecrated to l\Ie:' 1
News received by Mother de Matel from Lyons, did not
permit her to sta:r at Avignon as long as she \vould have
clesired. Her departure was fixed for April 23, 1640. On
'April 22, she ga,Te the habit to ~liss Catherine d' Andre.
who ardently desirecl to receive it from her hands. She
herself was happy at being able, before her departure, to
offer to the Incarnate \\Tord the first fruits of the harvest
of salyation and sanctity which He was to reap so abun dantly in this first monastery of His Order, and this garden
enclosed which belonged to Him alone. In return, the
Divine Master made her, on that day, a gift {)f one of
the fairest flowers of Avignon.
The eldest daughter of l\fr. de Bly, little Lucretia.
was then only seven years old. Having learned that
the Foundress was to depart t he next day, she could
not be reconciled to being separated from her. She begged
her father so earnestly to be allowed to go with her, that
the pious gentleman, 'vhose faith and veneration for l\lother
de Matel strongly pleaded in favor of that desire, consented
to its realization . The fnture prm. . ed that, in this sudden
resolution, there was much more than a childish fancy .
The venerable l\lother, ten years later, after having rescued
her from dea t h b3T three days of prayers and tears, gave
ber the habit of her Order of which she was one of the
most eminent religions. In pages full of sympathy, sh e
L \ u togra ph ic L ife, ch. L XXX III .

244

LU'E OF

JEA~NE

CHEZ.A.RD DE lUATEL

was to leave a recital of the virtues and deeds and especially of the final trial of the Foundress, from which we
shall have to borrow many precious details.
During her sojourn of five months at Avignon, Mother
de :Matel had receivecl numerous testimonials of devotedness. 'Ve know how sensitive to kindness was her noble
and generous nature. This inspired her with one of those
gratefnl returns by which only saints are able to pay their
debts.
The hospitab1e city was invaded by terror. The awful
scourge of the pestilence which had raged for several years
in the southern provinces, was spreading in the places
around the city. With the faith and confidence which, so
to say, subdue the love and power of God, l\fother de l\fatel
besought Him to preserve the city from the contagion, in
recompense for its devotedness to His work. She knew
the heart of her Spouse: "That she was assured," she said,
"that out of consideration for the joy which had been
given Him by the welcome extended by the people of A vignon to His Ortler and its daughters, He would save it frorn
this sconrge.m She adds, that she felt her prayer had been
heard. In fact, the scourge, which was at the gates of the
eity throwing it into terror, did not enter within its walls.
Reassu.red on this point and confiding in the love of
the Incarnate \\Tord for all that concerned the interest of
her little community, the good l\Iother tore herself away
from the tears and embraces of her daughters, whom she
left to the wise guidance of l\f other Margaret of J esus.
1Autographic Life, ch. LXXXIII.

CHAP'l'ER XIV
Sojourn at Lyons.-Trials.-Consolations

lGJO-lGJl
Having left Lyons 'Yith little Lucretia de Bly, Sister
Fran ces Gravier, and Prior Bernardon, l\f other de l\ia tel
stoppecl at Vienne at the home of ~fadame de Lauzun. She
had counted on making only a brief stay in the house of
her noble friend, but the latter, too happy to harbor a saint
under her roof, wishecl to cletain her as long as possible.
'J'herefore she sent back to Avignon the vehicle which had
brought her guests, and promised to take them to Lyons
in her own carl'iage. I t was only after three days of intima te conversation, that she consented to restore the Mother
'to her daughters.
In spite of the longing of the venerable Foundress to
press those dear daughters to her heart as soon as possible,
she obeyed an inspiration of her heroic virtue and begged
l\f a dame de Lauzun 's permission to go into the courtyard
of the Archbishop's palace. She wished to present the
homage of her humble submission, to the inflexible Prelate,
whom nothing could prevent her from revering as her Pastor.
\Vhen achnitted into his presence, she thus addressed him:
"Monsignor, although by the mercy of the Incarnate
\Vord, I have succeeded in making religions, you see that
I am not one. No matter what yearning I felt to possess
a happiness so long desired, I have deprived myself of it
in conformity with the intentions of Your Eminerice.m The
Archbishop showed bimself greatly pleased with this deference, and listened with interest to the recital of the blessings which accompanied the establishment of the first monastery of the Order of the Incarnate \\Tord. In presence
of the numerous witnesses surrounding her, he e:xpressed
his perfect satisfaction with the conduct of l\Iother de
Matel, and insisted that she should use his own carriage
lA u tographic Life, ch. LXXXIV.
245

24G

LIFE OF JE .\NNB CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

to make the short triv from his palace to the house of the
Gongrega tion.
YVe cannot hel p noting how the rigor of the Cardinal
towards l\1otlle1 de l\Iatel, was not di1ected at herself personally. ~rhe lnunility, submission and sanctity of the
Foundress appeared to su bdue him. At a distance he could
say, as we shall soon see: ''No l\Iother de Matel for me!"
And yet in her presence he was all kindness and veneration.
The joy of l\Iother de Matel on embracing her daughters,
was mingled with sadness. Her keen eyes saw th'at during
her absence cockle had been sown in the field. "I found,"
she says, "some of my da ugh ters very far from the fervor,
humility, and mortification which distinguished them before my departure from Lyons, and this was a deep affliction to me.m 'Vhat then had happened? This we can
only surmise because of the discreet and reserved charity
of the humble l\fother. Although those who lived in the
Congregation, were not authorized to make the vows of
religion, yet the venerable Mother had urged them, by her
words and example, to live with as much perfection as if
they had bound themselves by the strictest obligations. She
wished thus to render them more worthy of the choice which
the Incarnate 'Vord had made of them, to tr:ansform them
into His living models, in whom one day would shine forth
His name, His livery, and especially His virtues. The
regularity and fervor of the little comnnmity wonld have
been an honor to the best esta blished monasteries. Surprising and sad though it may seem, it was a religions who,
instead of using his influence over these souls to encourage
them in the way in which they were advancing with fervor,
had labored to slacken their steps, by showing them that
they were not obliged to i he perfectio11 asked of them, and
that they would do bctter to go elscwhcrc.
'l'hc pions Moi hc1 exc1tcd hcrself to eheck this evil. "'l
di<l wha t the A postle c01mscls 'J'imothy ," she writes, '~when
he says to ldm : Argue) obsccro) increpa ) in omni vaticntia
et <loctrina. " Reprove, en treat, rebnke, in all patience and
J. \ 11 to g-r n phi c Lif e, c h . I_jXXXlV.

SO.JOURN ~~T LYO~S.-TRIALS.-CO~SOLATIONS

2J 7

doctrine.m But if the descent which leads to laxity is easy,

it is difficult to climb up again, especially when nature
can support its resistance on the authority of a doctrine.
The zeal of )fother de Matel was powerless before such
an obstacle. " Seeing." she adds, 'that they wished to
follo"T only their desires whirh were not desires for perfection, and that they had lost all relish for piety, allmving themselves to be canied mn1y by the discourses of
an individual who tnrned a"Tay from Yonr Majesty, souls
'Yl10 had not sufficient constancy to remain faithful to the
promises they had made You, I let them go where they
"Tished.m
:;\Iother de )Jatel 1oved her daughters with an affection
so strong and teuder that she could not bear to be separated from them. In the sequel it will be noted that not
one of them died in a munaster~T "There she lived. As soon
as she sa"T one of them in danger of death, she conjured
and iute1Tened with so nrnch ardor, that the good )!aster
was constrained to surrernler to her supplications. On this
occasion we see her resigned. Her heart could not regard
as her mvn, those in "hom the love of the Incarnate \Vord
did not reigu. HmYever. this love dicta ted to her some
exceptions; those who had fortunes she pe1mitted to follmY
their own will, but she made efforts to retain those "\Yho
were without means.
''I left nothing nndone/' she says, ''to keep them. Because You have called the poor, I take pleasnre in keeping them in the Congregation. In this. charity is practiced. proving that it is You \Yho giYe suecess fo Yonr
designs, when the means so nrnch esteemed by men, are
lacking. '' 3
In orcler to reanimate he1 own broken spfrit and to implore by more continuons supplications the graces needed
hy lier religions family which had again been decimated
y the storm, the poor :.\fother passed. in retreat, the ten
ays etween ...-\._sceusion and Pentecost. 'I resolYed. '' she
says, " to make the Exercises, begging Yon to send me Yom
1IITim. IY, 2.
2.-\ u t o gr a phi c Li fe, c h . L XXXl\T.
,. 3Jbidem.

248

LIFE OF .JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEI1

Holy Spfrit.m At the beginning of her retirement, she is

in a state of aridity which only aggravates her pain, bnt
her Divine Spouse is watching over her. By a s'veet vision,
He makes her understand how He can, at the same time,
love her tenderly and try her rigorously. "You carried
my heart," she says, "in Your hands, and, while protecting it against its enemies, You were pressing it lovingly.
It seemed to me like a flower that You wre keeping so that
it would not fade. I admire these two contraries, which
made it a pressed ,flower, and, at the same time, a flower
prescrved in its beauty.
" On the day w hen I was meditating on death, You said
to me : ~fy danghter, have no fear of death. Thy heart
is in the bands of Life. Justorwn animae frl manu Dei
sunt) et non tanget illos tor1ncntitni mortis. wrhe souls of
i.he just are in the hands of God, and they shall not be
ton ched by the torrnent of death." 2 Death being only a
privation, the soul does not suffer from it, when it receives
a more excellent life than the one it leaves. It even desires
that privation 'ivhich makes it capable of uniting itself
entirely to God 1Vho is its all and the Ocean of all being,
1Mernnl Life is Sovereign Being.m
After this visit from the 'Vell-beloved, the holy retreatant
can say with the Sponse of the sacred Canticles: "I have
found Him lVhom my soul loves. I will not let Him
;o. " 'I'he remaining days of solitude arc a chain of favmR
and glory. 'Vhen she mcditates on judgment, her merciful
Ravior, through the offe1ing of Himself and His infinite
rnerits, makes her win her cause with so many advantnges,
ihni Di vine J11stiee declnres it is more than satisfied and
iha t it possesscs, after being rigo1onsly paid, sufficient
i1easmes i:o savc a thonsand worlds .
.Auoth er da.v, ~Tes ns makcs her undershmd that He
t omes down to raise her np to Himself. She e:xclahns:
'" I )car Love, t eneh me how to express Your descent and
Ill .Y 0levat ion . 'Yilhont Jenving the Fnther's bosom, in which
1,\ utograplii c L i fc, c h . LXXX lV.
2 \ Vi s <l o m , JJ I. 1.

:1 Au t ographic Lifc, c h . LXXXIV.

SOJOURX ..T LYO.XS.-TRULS.-CO~SOL..TIO.XS

2-19

is beg:otten the Person on w hom Yom H nmani t~- is :-:u pported in snd1 a \Y~1.,- that t'Yo natures make (Jne 'fonGocl \\110 is Yonrself. You came to me with as much meekness as rnajest,'. accompaniecl by a multitude of ange]~
and saints,. and You elen1ted 111.' spirit b~- Yonr splendo1s
\Yhich were like a lnminons chain. to ele,ate me delightfu11y to Y ourself. as if I had " -ishec1 to me et Him \\~ho
descended to me. The angels and saints "-ho accompaniecl
You said to one another: This is she who is passing through
great tribulations and who often washes her robe in the
blond of the Savior. onr Di\ine King ~ b,' her repeatecl confessions and cl ail y Communions. I t is this blood that makes
her so -white.'
"I' then saw a multitude of fiowers of dfrers colors: sprnng
from the precious bloocl of my Spouse. from which fio-wers
.He made His triumphal chariot. and. coming to me_. He
took me up to Himself upon this same glorions chariot.
to share in His triumph: He formed the steps of b1ossoming pnrple and He made me m01rnt to the sanctuary b,' tlle
fayor of His precious blood.: 1
The happiness poured into her soul beamed on her
countenance. I t became so brilliant that a person who
had to speak to her. could not hicle the amazement causecl
by the di\"ine lustre manifested in her features. \\~hen
the de\out :Jiother returned to her prayers: in the grace
and tenderness of her biblical phrases: she said to her Belo,ed: "Dear LO"rn. clo Y ou wish me to say that the beauty
of the fields is with me'? You are .Jesns of Sazareth, the
Sponse that blooms and takes m.' heart away wi_th Y011.: 2
In fact, J esus took her and canied her a way more and
more into His ''n heart. ':Jiount higher,',. He says to her.
and from the contemplation of the merits of His Hnmanity.
He raises her to the splendors of His Di\inity. "I takc
deligh t, :: He says. "in comm1rnicating :Jiy lights to thee.
I wish to make in thy spirit a ne"- Hea,en, and in thy
body a new earth.'~ 3 -n-hne Heayeu is being made in he1
L-\utographic Life, ch.
:!Ibidem.
3lbidem.

Lxxxn-.

250

LIU'E OF

.JE.\.~NE

CHE7.:4\.fm DE l\IA'l'EL

soul facing almost withont veil the rays of the divine Sun,
her body also is now11ed and transfignred by a celestial
light. One of the Sisters is obliged to enter twice on that
blessed morning ipto her room. At first she is stridn
with tenor. But she -ies to subdue her feelings ~ so as
not to let them be perceived and she sees that light take
different forms. Stms and then a crescent moon crown the
saintly l\fother. Finally a globe, brilliant as the sun, inunda tes her with its rays.
'fhe privileged visitor who witnessed these wonders, did
not dare to let the Foundress know that she had noticed
them, but she told all to Father Gibalin and also to another
Father. These well understood the deep humility of the
good l\fother, and they knew that the knowledge of these
favors would only make her more grateful and humble, so
they jndged it best that the Sister should inform her of
what she had seen. ~rhey were right in their opinion. ~~he
following is what the M:other wrot on this matter: "Dea1
Love, I make little account of what my daughters say when
they claim to have seen lustres or J)erceived odors which.
seem to them to be supernatural. I consider not these
visible signs but the invisible mysteries which You operate
while these things ar~ observed by those whom Yon make
witnesses of Your goodness to rnyself who am unworthy
of it. By these exterior lights and sensible odors, Yon
wish to attract these souls to interior love, in order that
according to the words of the Apostle, by these visible and
sensible things they may mount to those whirh are insensible and invisible.m
In the life of the disciples of Jesus and in that of their
:\faster, the honrs of ansfignration mc slwrt and rare.
'rhP,Y have scarcely desccnded from the heights of 'rliabor,
wheu tliey face snfferings and . crosses. 'rhe venernble
l\fother did not have loug to wai t for these. Dming two
rn011ths shc was a prcy to the pains of the gravel. Our
Lord nided he1 to bear these sufferings wi th g1eat courage.
'"Yon did uot wisli," ~lie says, ''to dcp1iye me of Yom heav1..:\ ut ogra ph ic l ,if e . c h. LXXXI V .

SOJOUilX A.T LYOXS.-

TilI.ALS.-

COXSOLA.TIOXS

231

enly consolations) because it is Your delight to be with

those who are in tribulation. " 1
Another joy 'Yas also gi\en to her heart at this time. A
second son -was born to J_.ouis XIII and she was superna turally informed of this. as she had been of the birth
of Louis XIY. An idea can be formecl of the greatness
of this joy to her "-ho was so sensiti\e to all that eoncerned
her country.
The end of the year of :X o\itiate of the first fi Ye Sisters
of the Incarnate \\. . orcl -was approaching. The nearer it
came, the more was the soul of the Foundress inYaded by
clesolation. The words of holy Simeon to the Blessecl
)fother: Tuam ipsius anima m. pertransibit glaclius. "Thy
own soul a sword shall pierce~:' were almost constantly
present to her mincl. One day. Our Lord Himself said to
her: " )Iy claughter, I am He \\. . ho is set for the fall and
the resurrection of 'many and for a sign to be contradicted.
Thy soul shall be piercecl with a s"Tord of sorro"T But
ha\e courage'." The worthy 1Iother. after writing these
crucifying and prophetic worcls. adds: ;. Strengthen me
uncler the crosses which You -will permit to corne to me.:~:2
The Incarnate \\. . ord will hear this humble and generous
prayer -which does not recoil from immolation but only
asks for strength to bear i t.
On December 6, lJO. a ray of sunshine pierces the somber clouds -which \eil the hol'izou of the \enerable )lother.
She sees St. Peter, crmn1ed 'dth the tiara~ assisting at the
canonical examination of the :first :X ovices of the Order
of the Incarnate \\. . ord: before they are permittec} to take
the \Ows of Religion. This uni\ersal Pastor of the Chu1ch
hacl e\er shown to )Iother de )Iatel, great zeal for the Otcler
which his :Jiaster wished to establish through her. \\. . e
ha\e seen how he hacl procurecl its institution in his own
domains. The interest which lie took in the atlmissinn of
her fhst dughte1s. wa~ a consolation to lier.
She iecei Yed still g1ea ter j oy from the sa ti~fne tion manifestecl to her by Our L01cl. Sorne years after her ietnru

1Autograp h ic Li fe, c h. LXXXIY.

~I bidem, ch . LXXXY.

Le

252

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\f ATEL

from Paris., He had shown her a tiara in which was missing a jewel that remained suspended above, and He had said
to her: "My daughter, the precious stone which is lacking
in this crown, is Uy Ortler which is not yet established,
the Bulls not being executed and remaining, as it were,
suspended.m
On that day, the a<lornment of the tiara was complete,
and, with His divine tenderness, Jesus made her understand, that she had added to the ciown of the Church,
the jewel with which He desired it to be enriched.
At last the day arrived when the first religions of the
Incarnate \Vord were to be solemnly consecrated to Him by
the religions profession. I t was December 16, 1640. From
midnight, the soul of the Foundress was a prey to inexpressible distress. She believed that nothing would be
able to deliver her from it. To overcome it, she exerted
herself during the l\f ass to make acts of faith, hope, and
love, when J esns said to her: "I t is I \\Tho have wished
You to be in these desolations, so that I might free You
gloriously from them: Do11iinus morUficat et vivificat,
cleclucit ad inferos et reducit. Dominus paupcre11i facit et
clitat ). hn11iiliat et sublevat. "'l,he Lord killeth and maketh
alive, He casteth down to hell and bringeth back again.
The T..iord maketh poor and maketh rich, He h umbleth and
He exalteth." 2 My daughter, thy time has corne. This
morning, thou givest an Ortler to the Church. \\Then the
queen brings forth, she weeps and suffers from her labors,
while the king and all the ki11gdom are 1ejoicing. After
she has brought forth, she has more joy than all, bccausc
she has had more suffering than an, and she has given
to the world a royal child. My daughter, rejoice. At this
moment, whilc I am speaking to thee, thy daughtel's have
made their profession. Thou art borne and rcceived, not
onJy into the bosom of the Pati-iarchs of whose privileges
thon dost padakc, but also into the bosom or ,., ly Bternal
J1..,afc1. Rejoicc in thanksgiving to l\fc thal it has pleased
Me~ from all cteniity, to choose t hec to p1odncc, in the
1A1it ogTapll i <'. Life, c h. LXXXV.
2Kings, II, 6, 7.

SO.JOUilX A.T LYOXS.-TRIALS.-CO:XSOLA.TIO:XS

253

Ohurch, an Order \Yhich is an extension of Jly Incarnation.

Through thee, I am again introduced into the worlcl: Et
cum iterum introducit primogenitum in orb em t errac di cit:
Et adorent eurn omncs angcli D ei. Consolamini. consolamini) papule meus. 'And again: when he bringeth in
the first begotten into the world, he saith: And l et all the
angels of God adore him. 1 Be consoled: be consoled. rny
peopleY 2 The humble jJ other adcls: "Yon told me many
other things while dfrinely caressing and praising me. But
I well know that this "as an efrect of Your pure goodness,
to which I rightly attribntecl all the things which had been
clone. Of myself I ha-ve nothing to glory in except rny
infirmities, so that Your Tirtue may clwell in rne.:' 3
As had been tolcl her by her adorable Spouse, the King
and his kingdom were in jubilation. On the rnorning of
that blessed day, the Eternal Father had shown Himself to
irother Jlargaret of t esus. and had said to her: 'To-day,
I shall girn thee birth, I shall share \\ith thee Jiy filiation.
to make thee "orthy to be the spouse of Jiy Son and to
labor for the \\~ork of His holy Order.:H He then makes
her understand that He wished to pour out on the members
of this Ortler, more graces than eTer before: without asking
anything in return~ except fidelity and self-annihilation.
Sorne hours later, J esus presented Himself to her, in company "~ith His Blessed Jlother. and permitted her to recline
upon His heart. He then iuebriated her with so much happiness, that when she came out of the ecstasy into which
she had been thro"n by this faTOl'. she exclaimecl: ';0 my
God, my Lo-ve, and m~ Li fe. may it no longer be T that lfre.
but Y on in me. :X o longer myse1f but only Y ou. my All :~
In these dispositions: jfother jJargaret 6f J esus and her
four companions ad\ancecl t o pronounce the sacred promises which were to make thern the spouses of .J esus. The
Yicar General, who was adrninishator of t he diocese, performecl the ceremony. The hest ~ o ci P ty of AYigno n~ whose
1Hebrews, I, 6.
~ I saias, XL, 1.
3_-\utographic L ife, ch. LXX X:Y.
-! T hi s fac t and t he fo1lo\\ i ng \Yhich refer to the beginning of the
fir :-: t monaster~- of the Order of the Incarna te \\' ord are ta ken from
the biographies of the first ::\Iothers.

254

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\fATEL

Mother Margaret. of Jesus Gibalin, First Superioress of the First

Con vent of the Order of the Incarna te \Yord.

Nympathy for the ne'v monastery was al ways on the increase, wished to assist a t i t.
All went away edifiecl aHd imlrned with the celestial
peifnrne diffusecl by the f.lnndity of the new Heligions.
'Vo1d~ Crn11ot exp1ess the llappi11e~~ of the p1ivileged souls
who h:l<l 11ow ~ne1ificed l 11 1lwt 1hf' wodd t'OYCts, for the
l':vo1 of he(oming daughLe1N of tlie lnrnrnate \Vo]'(l. 'rhey
we1e p11111gr-d i1do ocemlN of joy a11d lhnnk~giving, at seeing
iea li zcd j H i 11 emf.lel ves i h e promises so lo11g before made
to this l'dcl', by wlticlt the "'or made mau wishcd to

SOJOUHX _\T LYOXS.-1'IlL\LS.-COXSOLATIOXS

255

make practical use of a means, before nnknown, of grnng

Himself to sonls and of transforming them into Himself.
This Dfrine SaYior seemed to share the jubilation of His
spouses and to be unable to withhold from them the effusions
of His tenderness. He was lavish of these towarcls all, but
especi ally tmYards Mother ~Iargaret of J esus.
One day, as, in silence and recollection, she was clim bing the staircase of the monastery, "The all beautiful, and
all lavable Child J esus," as the Memoirs say, "sho-ws Himself to her, throws Himself on her neck, and em braces her
so tenderly that she does not kno-w hmv to express the consolation with which He left her filled." On another occasion,
when she was obliged to take a little rest on account of
the weakness from which she has been suffering for several
years, the Incarnate \Yord appears to 4er, ernbraces her
t.enderly, ~nd says to her three tirnes: "Ah, )ly daughter.
Ilow I loYe thee~ how I loYe thee, hmY I loYe thee !" After
this embrace she 'yas entirel~~ freed from that weakness.
This sensible mark of the reality of the supernatural
graces with which she was fayorecl. was not the only one
'Yhich slie received. She has to make a considerable payment. She takes to the parlor all the money in the house,
to count it in the presence of the notary. The sum is insufficient. \Vishing still to hope. she sends one of the Sisters
to look again and see if there is not some more rnoney
in the chest. The Sister soon returns and affirms that
the chest is empty. )lother )largaret nmY arrns herself
with faith and confidence, takes this religions with her.
returns to the chest, and finds in it the precise sum needed
to cornplete the payment, to the great wonder of her 'Yho
only some minutes before had seen ~dth her own eyes, the
emptiness of the chest.
The desire of the heart of the Incarnate 1'.,. ord was to
repay withont limits, to the souls of His clear daughters~
that confidence in His loYe and in the care that He took
of them. For instance, one day, after hadng considered
the srnall quantity of wheat which was all that the community vrns provicled with, Mother )largaret was astonished
that this small amount cost so much money, and she became

25G

LII.m OF JEANNE CI-IEZAUD DE l\IATEL

very pensive. Iler Divine FathPr appears to lier, embraccs

her tenderly and says to lier: 'I would change stones
into b1ead, rather than that a11ything ~ho11ld be lacking
to thee."
These. delightfnl incidents abonnd in the Memoirs and
Biog1aphies of the first l\fothers. But we must do ourselves the violence necessary to tear ourselves away from
the charm of these recitals. However, we cannot refrain
from making two citations which will give us some idea
of the solicitude of the Divine Master, to train His dear
little family in the spirit of His Order and in the fnndamental virtues of the religions state. One day, as l\fother
l\fargaret is earnestly begging the spirit of His Order, He
manifests Himself and says to her: "l\fy daughter, l\fy life
is thy Rule and without ceasing thou must aspire to l\fy
crucifixion." Another time, during the evening meditation, He appears to her and says with great -sweetness:
''l\Iy daughter, love thy Sisters as I have loved thee, and
often think of My humility." It is easy to conceive what
cffects must have been produced in souls already so perfect, by words of gold falling immediately from the lips
of the Word, with the grace which accompanies every syllable which He pronounces !
vVhile the Divine l\faster is so lavish of tenderness towards His daughters, He speaks to their l\fother only of
the cross and the sword, but these He presents all streaming with light and glory. On the evening of May 2, 1641,
Mother de l\fatel was preparing to solenmize the Finding
of the Roly Cr0$1S, by praying her Divine I.ove to pacify
all in her, throngh the blood of His cross, as by this adorable blood He pacifies an that is ip Ileaven and on earth.
He then shows her an anow admirably composed of fire,
flmhe1, and ftowers. "'rhese three elements," she says~ ~'were
there so well represented that I saw them all fire, all amber,
and all flowers. And, althongh they soou disappeared,
they fille me with great delight. Yon made me under~i aiHl that Yonr c1oss is for me a thorn of love all ardent
to intlame me; that it is am ber to atfract me like straw
<livinrly prcscrvcd in this sncrcd fc; and that it is n

SO.JOUHX

AT LY0XS.-TP.L\.LS.-COXSOL.\.TIOXS

257

ftmye1 'Yhich these funes eannot wither. These maryelons

1e~~orn;;; athaeted me to lonl Yon, diYine Loye1 of the cross.
1 smY ah(ffe rny hen<l. thi:-; lnminons Cl'OSS whieh protects
me in an inexplknble num11er. nnd Yon tanght me that
its I'l_\'~ of light al'e the s1Jle11tlor and glory which Yon
com11rnnieate to me, in yfrtne of Yonr precions blood, for
Yonr glo1y and foi tlie eonfounding of Yonr enernies.'' 1
llllic JJJ'Oducam conut Datid. parari luccrnam Christo mco.
111i111icos ejus i1illlwni confusionc. suprr ip8um autrm
efflorcbit sanctificatio mca. '"There will I bring forth a
horn to DaYid: I haYe prepared a lamp for ::\Iy anointed.
His enernies I will clothe with confusion. but npon him shall
)fy sanctification fionl'ish ... ~
. One day, in the Oct::l.Ye of Corpus Christi, the w,.orthy
)fother had knelt before the altar to adme J esns \\.,.ho \Yas
exposed npon it, and she said with the tender familiarity
of her 1oYe : .. I offer myself as a target for Y on r diYine
shafts:~
She hnd scarcely nttered these words when the
sncred Host shot forth on ber a fiery dart 'Ybich threw
he1 into an ccsta~~T :JI. Bernardon, the chaplain, entered
the clrnreh to giYe benediction. He was dazzled by this
lnminons anow. ".,sh1g to see if it were an effect of
the snn 's rays or of the light of the candles, he placed himself in the direction which he sa'y it take. It was evident
that the light conld not corne from the sun or the candles.
He looked in the choir and saw the -venerable ::\Iother in
ber ecstatic state: he in-vestigated no farther, understanding that this was an occurrence of the supernatnral order.
\\'1iat I saw," he 1elateR, "had the form of an arTo-w larger
than a torch and so well fo1med that the end which reached
)fother de :Jlatel was a pointed finme, \Yhile the other end
which proceeded from the Blessed Sacl'ament, was larger
th an the lm.se of the paschal candle. " 3
. :\. fter this fiaming aiTow, still other signR of fribnlation
me giYen to the saintly ::\Iother. One day dnring her meditation, she sees a h01de of fe1ocions bcnstf', lions, tigel'f',
1Autog-raphic Life. ch. LXXX\~.
2Psalms. CXX:XI. 17, 18.
:1.A utograpllic Life. ch. LXX:XY.

258

LIFE OF .JE.\.:.'\KE

CHEZ~\nD

DE l\I.ATEL

leo1m1d~,

whieh a1)pear full of rage agai11st her, but cannot do he1 any lrnnn, a~ they are helcl lrnl'k lJy a snpel'iol'
power. 'J'he figmc
is soon sncceeded lJ,.. . the realitY.
.._
. Peisons whom Bhe fayo1ecl by ieceiving them into the C011gregntion, respond to be1 kindness lJy i11g1atitucle and inconstnncy. Her motherly heart is torn to }Jieces hy this.
Her charity does not permit her to relate the wTongs they
did ber. She only says: I was deliverecl from persons
who were not giving glory to Your name. 'l'heir loss afflieted me, but Your goodness dried my tears, by making
me see that it draws good out of evil. Pardon the excesses
of sadness that I felt for them. Detach me from all that
is imperfect, and, as Your angels are without anxiety in
their care for my salvation, grant that I may take care
of the salvation of my neighbor in the same manner, to
please You and to _make myself agreeable to Your Divine
l\fajesty .m
This trial, supported wHh such Christian fortitude, is
succeeded by another which procures the perfection even of
her lmmility. Mother de ~fatel had such a clear insight
into her own nothingness and miseries, tlrnt it was not
possible for ber to esteem herself, on account of the favors
which God lavisbed upon her. Rhe could see in them
only the effects of infinite love which was the more admirable in being dfrected to a creature who was the more
unworthy of it. 'J2hence sbe spoke of these graces as things
to which she was a stranger, and the knowledge of which
was to seive only to make her admire the divine mercy.
'Vith the Blessed Virgin she could sny ".,.ithout attribnting
these favors to herself: ''The Almighty, He W'hose namc
is holy, hath regnrcled the lowliness of His harnlrnaid mHl
bath donc great things in me.'' 2
Such humil1ty is the p1ivilege of consummatc virtnc.
'fhe1e aie few who are capable of prncticing it, or even
utographi c Life. c h. LXXXVI.
2It is re lat e c1 of St. C hantal that in the firnt years of her foundations. that smll who se virtu e s w e r e so masculin e and generous. could
not HU pport tlie rn:i rks of ven e ra tion wh ich wcr e pour e d 011 t on h c r
from e very Hi<l e , without hhrnhing for sham e ; but when she was
r e achin g th e e nd of her caree r, sh e w:is so cletached from hers e lf th_at.
no t a sc ribin g th ese h o mag e s to h e rself. sh e s ee med not to 11erce1v e
U1em ;111<1 fi orn c tirn efi c ven invit e d th ern.
1.t-\

SOJOUHX AT LYOXS.-THL\LS.-COXSOLATIOXS

25!)

understnncling it in others, on account of the ~huggles

which they expe1ience in thernselves. Thus it sometimes
happened that the need which )Iother de )Iatel felt of
glorifying Gocl and causing others to bless H~ excessiYe
bounty toward~ her, was taken for yainglory. At the stage
of her history at which we are now arrfred, one e:x:ample
clemonstrates this most eYidently.
\Yhat happened fo me on the feast of SS. Simon
and ~Tude," she relates, "when I spoke with too much sirnplici(v of the lights and great fa-vors which Your goodness
communicates to me, makes me see that I had not considered what is said b~T the Apostle: That the da~Ts are
eyjl and tha t men a bonnd in their mn1 opinions.' But
Yom goodness shows me clearly tha t Your ProYidence
\Yatches OYer me as Your child. and that from my fanlts it
draws good b~ . . humiliating me for my imprudences. )[ost
der Loye, since I clo not know how to use lrnman prudence. gfre me in abundance of that which is dfrine. Sinee
I knmY not how to conYerse with earth, grant tha t lll.'
conYersation rnay be in HeaYen. After the deparhuf~ of
the persons with \Yhom I had conYersed too frankly. I
wanted to rebuke myself for my im1Jrndence. lmt Yon did
not wish this, and m . . erwhelming me \Yith Your sacrec1 sweetness, You said to me that " . . here there had been no fanlt
of mine. I ought not to distress myself with fnij Ue~s reg1ets: that Your ""isdom had 1Je1mitted the~e confl13ucef5
and that if they had been deemed follies hy those \Yho
hemd them, I shonlcl not lose my veace.
)Iy danghte1," Y ou said to me, .. bles~ed are th~y tha t
do not take scandal from thy frankness and from the
fanlts ,d1ich thon callest fol1ies. )ly ~-\.postle :-:aid: PcrdaJ11
sapicntiam sapicntium et pr11dcntiaJ11 prudcntium repmao.
~Yonn e stultam freit Dclls -'WJJcntiu111 llllj1ts nlllndi! Quia
quod stultu11l est !fri sapicnti11:s ( '.<;;f lun11inius. et quod
infirn111111 est J)ei. furtius ('8t lioJJ1ini11s. etc. "[ wi11 destroy
the wi~dom of the wise and the 1nrnlenee of the pruden t
1 will rejed. Hath not God made foolish the wi:-:dom of
thi~ wol'ld "? For fe fooli~llne:--:~ of God i~ wi~er than men,

2GO

Lll<'E

011~

JEA N NE C HEZARD DE :l\IA'l'EL

and the weakness of God is strongel' than m e1L " 1 )ly danghte1, Go(_l does uot often choose those who ;U'e g1eat and
wi:..;e acemding to the ftesh. Seek not th e glol'y of men. All
., thirn\ thon mt Christ's, and Christ is God's. He wlw
has God has all. He w"l10 has all, onght indeecl to 1ejoi ce.
' "By telling me to rejoice, Yon gave me what Yon commanded. ~Jy soul saw itself plunged and transportecl into
an extraordinary joy, and, as I 'Yalked up and down in
my room, I said: Dear Lo1d, how happy I woulcl be to
be cousidered a fool by men, without these fo11ies offcncl
ing You.~ 'l'hen I saw an altar, above which the1e were
many persons who were beheaded and to yfl10m a super
natnral power resto1ed their heaf: with as mnch 1n-ompt
ncss as clexterit;v. 'l"hey appeared more beantiful than befo1e, and retained no m<nk on their necks whe1e they e'ren
lrnd an increase, of beanty and splendor.
Yon said to me: ")Jy dangbter, this is the vision which
was seen by St. J olrn and -...vhieh is noted in the Apocalypse.
Hast th ou enongh ecrnrage to he beheaded for ~Iy snke ?'
I said to Yon, that, animated by the spirit y on gave to
Your marty1s, I wonld incleed rejoice to have the blessed
lot of being beheaded for Yon, 0 my most amiable Incarnate 'Yo1d. ~Jy d:rnghte1, ' Yon iepliecl, 'sinee thon art will ing t o give fy head foi ~Ie, I tell thee that there aie persons who have beheaded thee, not physically but morally,
hy deeming thy visions folli es. But I \Yill vcrify the sa.ring of 1~y Apostle, and I will make thcm see that l\Iy folly
i~ -w iser than the wisdom of the world.
I will give thee
hack th y head, throngh th ose saine iudividuals who haYe
:-;a i<l ihat fis is folly, aud T place i hee with )[y mmtyrs
who gave thefr he<Hl mHl fcil' life for ')fe. Rejoi ce with
th ose to whom T sny: !Jcati <'1'ifis cwn vos oder int ho111i11cs,

et

8<'JJ<tJ'<t V<'ri11t l' os , et <'.rproba vcriut et cj cceriut

JIOJJICJI V<' slr111u tu11q 11 <1JJ1 JJW711111 , 7n o1>tcr ~i ilium lwJJ1in.s .
(/<111<f<'l e JI il/a die, f' f <'.l'lfl/((/f': 11<'('<' c 11i111 W< ' J'C< 'S l' <'slnt
IJJl!lto <'S l i11 f'Odo.
Bl<:..; :-:pd :-1l1all yon 1)( wh<n llH'll ~hall
hat e yon lJHl " lien they ~hall f-;<' pa1at e yo11, a])(l :-;hall ier 11111

l )]"Ot th y on , a 11 d
ICo r .

r.

<,1:-;

B. 20. 45.

t out yom 1rnme

a~

e'" 1, fol'

the

~ou

~O.JOCHX ~\T LYOXS.-'l'HULS.-CO~SOL\TIO~S

:!Gl

Be gl ad in tha t day au d rej oke, for be, hoI<l ym.11 ie"md is great in Heaven.' ~n
\Yhat a pel'fume of truth and humilitY is exhaled in
this simple aJH1 admirable recital ! How the.., humble Found1e8s accuses herself and wishes to rebuke herself fot what
she calls ber impnH1ences, and how she exalts the gooclness of her clearest LoYe, Yn10 dra 'Ys good from edl, by
hnmiliating her foi her faults. But also how Our Lord,
the infallible .Jndge of the rectitude of her intentions and
of the nature of ber ads, hastens to reassure her and to
change her ~01-row into a joy which is so supernatural and
eleYated that the tribulations of this nether earth, far froni
trou bling he1, increase her felicity. This is evidenced in
a Ietter in 'Yhich the venerable Mother renders an account
of her interior dispositions. It is datecl November 18, lGl,
three weeks after the incrnent of the feast of the Roly
.\" postles RR. Simon and Jude. This proves that. her joy
in humiliation, was not mere passing entlrnsiasm. The
letter is addressed to Father Gibalin. Among other things
she says to hi m :
''For seYeral months I have felt great indifference for
eYerything that is not God. I am astonished at seeing
myself so long in this state. I say this from the bottom
of m~- soul. For its inferior part is not always in this indifference towards all that is not God, but the snperior
part lives in peace. I t is annoyed when I hem myself
1n-aised and to keep it extraordinarily joyous, I need to
hem tlint 1 am despisecl. This jo~- cornes to me not from
ieason or from humilit~-, but from a gift which is bestowed
upon me gratnitously from on high, without my c"ntributing tn it by any pel"fert act of virtue."
This most excellent gift was well timed by the tender
JH'Ovidence of lier Divine Spouse. The hour had corne for
n severe trial whieh \Yas to consec1ate foreYer the anthenticity arnl 01tlw(loxy of ber writing~. hy placing on them
the seal of the most rigi<-1 and anthmitatiYe eensorship nrnl
av1nova1.
of

HWH 's

f.:ake.

1Lu k e YI.

~2 .

23.

CHAP'l'BU XV

Seizure of the Writings of Mother de Matel by Monsignor

Alphonse de Richelieu, Archbishop of Lyons

1641
~Iother de ~Iatel had left at Paris devoted friends whom
veneration foi her. sanctity iendered desirous of aiding
in her admirable mission. Sorne of these, wishing to procure foi her w01k the protection of Richelien, had conversed with the ~Jinister ou the merit of the Foundress,
and the celestial favors whieh had been accorded her. As
proof of the extraorclinary Ughts wh ich had been iufused
iuto her, they hauded hirn some treatises which she had
"Titten and 'vhith had remaiHed in the possession of her
directors. This permits ns to con jecture that, perhaps,
Patheis .J acquinot and de Lingendes, using the influence
possesscd by the former, as prodncial, and, by the latter
as m1 eloqnent JH'eacher, songht to gain for her the snpport of the C:u<1inal. It is more probable that Father
Can, the Domjnican, who in the year 1G:_14, had written
to ~Iothei de ~fa tel to pray for the Cardinal and to comrnm 1ica te to i ha t Fa i her auythi ng rn ade lrn own to her
l>y God cm1terni ng the ~I inister, may haYe used ~hese
didne <011rnn111icati0Hs, to wii1 for her the attention and
beuevolente of the all-pmverfnl P1emie1.

. No rnatte1 who the penmns we1e that laborcd nt concil~~1ti11g, towmds .Mother de ~\fatel, the mi11d of the Cm<1i11al 1)nke, lS he wns c:1l1e<1, to <listingnish him from hi~
lnother, the . .\1el1bi:d10p of Lyo11s, they snceeeded. Learning thnt s11eh a fnnm:d pe1so11 wn~ Jivh1g nrnlel' his bl'othp1's j11ris(lid ion, he w1ote io ihP lattp1 l'.<>lllplninillg' that
lie ha<l 1lP\'e1 spokP11 io hirn of thl' frpa~me he po~sesse<l
01 of the ('111i11Pn1 ~oul wl1om J.tp h:1<l ili his ~\1chiepis<'opal
(ity. ""I n111 hnd,'' ht' nd(lP(l, "nt hn\'llg' fst k110w11 of
.'\lotl1<1 (le )l:lte] f'l'Olll 01Jip1~ ht~i<lP~ yom~ell', :rnd m; a
prnof' tlwi 1 n111 we1l iuforme<l of wlwt pasNe~ in the interior
22

SEIZUnE OF THE \VIU'rIXGS OF ~IOTirnn DE :.\IATEL

2G:3

of tlwt servant of Gocl, I 8enc1 you some of her w1itingR,

which I lrnYe iencl with ndmi1a tion. I am 8me thnt yon
will not be le~s n8t~mi8hec1 nfie1 1en c1iug them, nnd l wi~h
to know yom 01)inion of them. ''
:Mother de B8ly contiuues: 1 do not kumv hy whom
the cletails of this episode have been nnsmitted to u~. I
do not know what writings the Cardinal sent his brother.
But I do knmv that as soon a:s the latter Prelate ieceiyecl
his brother's missive, he rend with g1eat attention the
books wl'tten by our worthy Jlother, and that ex1nessing
his astonishment, he commnnieated them to his Yil'.aI' Genera l, 31. Deville. r do not believe,' he ~miel, fnt a \Yoman
is capable of wdting so perfeetly on matte1s so profouncl.
Mother de ~latel must have coviecl the w01ks of some of
her directors. Such writings on the mysteries of faith are
too far above the powers of her sex.' " 1
After thus exp1essiug himself, he summoned .her confessor Fnther Gibalin, to lenrn his opinion on the mntter.
\Yith cha.rneteristic im1mrtiality, Fathe1 Gibalin deelarecl
thnt Mother de ~Intel wns one of the most enlightened
souls he had ever known, and that she lenrned thm~e things
from God.
rrhe Prelate is not COIH'BC'ecl by thiR positiYe affirmation. He becomes more obstinate in believing that this
work is above the lights of a ""oman. In this he was ot
mistnken. He forbicls Fnther Gibalin to see Jiother de
~Intel until ne\Y orders.
He is resolved to elem up the
whole nffnir by a decisive trial.
On December 1, lGJl, at four o'clock in the afternoon,
the Cnrdinal presents himself at the cloor of the monaste1y.
He is aecompanied by his Yicm Genernl and his chnplai11.
K ever was a visi t so nnexpected. Jlothe1 de ~I a tel, a t the
head of the commnnity cornes prornptly to rneet the Arch hiRhop, kneelR nt hiR feet and hegR his ble~Rillg. He bid;-;
lier 1ise nncl R<l,YR: )fy da11ghte1, I wiRh to Ree you a
moment in yom room." ~he lefl~ hirn thither, nccorn Jmnied by SiRter Elizabeth G1nRRetenn nnd hy her Rcc1etnl'y, SiRtcir Franc-es G1nviei.
11\'Ianuf.>cript Mernoir b y l\foth e r de BlY.

2G4

LIF'E OF'

.JE.\X~E

C'I-IE?:.\nD DE

~I

.\TEL

As soon m-l they enter, the A1chbishop declares to l\lother

de ~fatpl the 1Hll1)0SC of his visit. He lrns n great <lesire
to see lH_1 w1itings, mid hegs hei to gi,Tc them tq him. She
h nrn b ly 1epl ieN : "l\Ion~i g1101, yon mc my Pnsi ol' n nd
~faste1-.
r hnve no objection to mnke to yonr command.
He1e me the keys of the place in which they me enclosed. " 1
'1'he Cardinal ttnns to the Yicar Gene1al, gives him the
keys, and snys to him : 'Y on know my pmpose, act according to my 01cle1s." 'l"'hen everything in the 1oom , whether
in the Une of chests or wardrobes, is opened. All w1itings,
and even all notes are removed.
~l1he Siste1s who are witnesses of this scene cmmot resign themsel ves to Jose su ch precions tl'ea:-mres. 'rl1ey
try to save Romething. 'fhey slip some note books here
and the1e. 8i:-;ter Frances Graviel' tears up some writings
and tln-ows them into the eo1ne1s as papers of no importance. She hopeR lnter to put these pieces together and
recornT them. 'rhis exped?nt is nNeless. It mnkes the officials of the Cnrdillal only the mol'e ager to gather them
up. ~rhey pick U]J even the smnllest fragments and cmefnlly enclose them in the box in whicb they have placed
the rest.
'Vhile the Vicar Gene1al and the chaplain are proceedi ug in th is sei ~ure, the Cmdinal i s eon versiug wi th l\foth er
de l\Iatel on the matte1s treated in the writings which
he ha:-; alieady pen1:-;ed: 'Plie ugrccmc11t of the grnce of
aod 1r:ith t" c f rcr Will of Jll au: The lif c (/ wl rc pose of Goll
in Himself: The Cnion of the soul with Goll) etc. He tried
to cmlm1Tnss he1 by qnestionR which we1e nnmerons,
en pti011N. and wi thon t 01de1. 'rhe lurn1 ble ~Iothel' replies with
the calm nnd simplkity of n sonl that frnsts only in God.
'J'he Siste1:-; who aic p1esent note the change in the exJHe~sioll of the P1elnie'~ eonntennnte.
His cold distrn~t
of' tltP fhst monw1ltR, gave way to a kiml of benevolente,
as he 1e('eived the simple nud lnmillous respollses of the
l;ion ll <11es~. A<lmi 1a tion was depicted on li i s featmcs ns
he ~<tw tlint :-;he wns fnr from RltmiHg the fccf1g~ of he1
<lm1gh i p1s, aiHl withon t miy eYi<leHce of <listmbmiec, J>erll\lanuscri1it Mcmoi1 h y 1\'Iothcr <le D(ly .

SEIZUUE OF THE WnI'l'I~GS OF ::.\lO'l'HEil DE ::.\L\.'rEL

2()5

mitted the carrying away of her \\Titings which hitheito

had remained hidden from all but her diredors. He began
to question her with visible inteiest on the graees which
she had received from God, when the Vicar General approached and announced to His Emi11ence that the collecting of the papers was eompleted.
~rhe Aichbishop then said to her:
)fy daughter, I
am now satisfied on one point. But yon mnst complete
my satisfaction by rewriting what is contained in these
books which I am cnnying avrny to examine. I command
this, and I rnean tha t ybn must sen d me the books, from
time to time, aN you fill them with the details of your life.
It is not my vdsh that you mention your sins. Keep these
for the tribunal of confession. I gfre you my wonl that
I \Yill return to you all these manuseript~. I forbid you
to speak to .Yonr S}Jiritual Father until I haYe ordered otherwise. Perhaps you will uot be d.;1Jlease<1 a t bei.ng under
my own direction for some time.'' ~Iother de ~latel objected: '')fonsignor, how \Yll it be possible foi~ me to
obey such a eommand. wheu you lea Ye me no memorandum '?" The Cardinal replies: "It i~ true that I take H\Yay
yom papeis, but I have not depriYed you of the Spirit who
inspil'ed yon. Yon will pray Him to enlighten yon a second
time and don btless, He will not iefnse, since He has gfren
yon so many graces."
''On heaiing thi:-.;~ '' says )lother de Bly. om Ri~ters
from whom I leainecl it later, "\Yere commled as mneh as
um )fother snffeied in her rnodesty, foi they were Yeiy
sul'e tbat ueither her hnmility nor he1 iepngnm1 would
prevail OYer her submis~ion, pers1rn<1ed a~ they \Yel'e, by
their long experience, that these Yirtne:-; were equally dem
on account of the pl'ice pnt npon them by the Tncarnate
\\'" onl and her pl'adice of them until hel' dPath.
'~\_ftei the Cardinal left the i oom of om wmthy )Jother.
.
he ei1tered the choir whith faced it. He thel'e fonnd the
com11nmity and the hoan1ing pnpiJf.\ of whom I \Yf~ one.
He consi<1ered, from the qne~tions he asked ns, that \Ye wel'e
Yery well inshnete<l, altlwngh om irnmbe1 W<lR co11Ri<1eiable, and as he went away he <1ecla1ed that he wa~ mneh

LIFJ<:J OU'

.rn.\~~E

CHEZ.HW DE :\L\'rEL

eclified by the 1egnlarity and was mnch pleased with the

Ol'<ler which reigned in the hon~e."
Tt is easy to fo1m an iclea of the afflictiou and iegrets
of the daughte1s of l\1other de Jlatel, when, afte1 the depal'tme of the Arehbishop they learned, from those who
had becn present, of the seiznl'e of the writings of the Fonndl'es~.
A11 1e1noached thernse]yes with haYing been so baekward, and not having taken adYantage of the occasions when
their :Mother's room was 01)en, to gain n knowledge of those
wTitings. In yain clid she tell them tlwt by aeting thns,
fey 'YOU}d haYe been clSObedient. rrhey l'e})}ed: """Te
1uwe not macle a vow of obedienee. Om curiosity would
not lrnYe been cl'iminaJ, and it wonld have spared us the
affliction cnm~ed by om d~e1eetne~s, now tha t these
precious nunrnse1i1Jts haYe been taken away without 0111
haviug had the consolation of refling them. " 2
rru appease the Sisters, jfother de ~Intel reminded them
that His- Eminence had }JI'Omised to l'etu1n the papers .
.. Jlonsiguor did not say when he Ki11 retnl'n them. He
has h ad om Bnll for seven yem~ and al ways refuses to
exeeute it. His heart has no tenderness for us.'' rn1ey
even went ~o far as to be frl'itated at seeing their Jiother
so indifl'erent to a loss whid1 afflieted them al]: ""You
hn ve. in you the source of these lights, but your continua]
inffrmities depI'Ye us of any ho1Je of en)r partak]ng of "~hat
i he Spi1 it of G0<1 inspired for the welfare of the Order."
)Iy danghtel's, my danghte1s. the Iuearnate yrmd is the
Book of Life '. HP will be able to iusnct yon by Himself
or by so many other versons who me rnol'e enpnble than 1.
Do like . .-\..lnnham. Hope agaiust the nvvearnnces of hoveles~11e~f.I, that yon will I'Cl'eYe 1ight in youl' spfrit.
I>o
uot yield to yo n 1 afttietion. rrhe Inemnate W'"ord has cme
of yon mul of Ili~ Order. Ollly j)1''1Y tlwt I may l'.011<- d
rnysclf, for my f.I11~ ll'C the eanse of yom tedion~ "~aiti11g.
l ton~olP<l 1hern :t~ hes1- 1 ktH'\Y how, ~Y~ thP good :\lothc1-.'' 8
Bnt in this ~hP luul little ~1wcess, <t~ iR evi<lcut frorn
whnt 1ws heell p1ese1yed to 11~ 1'1om thi~ ~eeHe. Ri~ter
1

1 1\T:t n u :-; l'i' i pt .:\ J (, m oi r n r l\ 1nt l H' J' <.1 c B l y. l' h. Y.

2 \

11to gT n phi c L ifc, c!J . LXXXVI.

:n bid e m .

s:mrnunE OU' THE wrrINGS OI;"' ~IOTHEil DE l\L\TEL

Frauees Gnrder, the

of <ll 1.

~hc

~eel'ctary,

rep1oae hc<l

he1~(_~ l f

267

was the most distressed

f01 noi 11 a ving fol'estall ed

this evil, h,Y <-opyi11g the ~Iothtii'N wri ling~. Rhc hlametl
St. ~Joseph, whom she had ~o emnestly prayed to ol>tain
for her the <"'0 .'lTaee of bei1w
b able to do this w01k fm the bO'ood
of the Order. After snch a Joss she ]H'aye<l to die. "")lother,"
she said, "at least IJray God to deliver yon from yonr maladies, so that yon may be ahle to necomvfo.;h the eommand
of His Eminence.m
If thefr eom plaints and desola ti ons we1e profonnd, the
loss which they feared was great. AH said that their most
precions posses~ion after God, and their ~lothe1, had been
taken away from them. The trial to which the Cardinal
snbjected the Fonndre~s wns severe. To take mvay nnexpectedly, hy the exercise of his authority, her most pe1sonal
prope1ty, "'hich ~he bad kept_ from the eyes of all, to obli. gate her to make, all at once, a recital of the ~rnmberless
graces and lights which she had neve1 w1itten exeept immediately afte1 she had received them, when he1 soul was
still illmnined hy the divine splendors; to lenn? he1' not
even the least note to recommence snch a la bor: thiN was,
in a ce1tain way, to ask the impossible. But what is impossible to man alone, is possible with the aid of graces
which are given to obeclient souls who know hmv to sa:y
to. themselnN, when their snbmission is snbjected to the
test: Sin ce Hod wishes this, I can do it. rro wmk :thrn !
This is what \vas donc by Mother de Matel.
'J'he extreme difficnlty from the nature of this labor,
was not the only obstacle to be smmonnted by the worthy
~fother in olJeying the eommand of her .A.Tchbishop, She had
to accomplish it in the midst of the thonsand solicitucles
of the government of her commnnity. Rhe was constantly
inteITnpted hy an exe1cise at whieh she had to preside, a
connsel to he given, a practieal mensure to be taken, or a
visit to be 1eceived; this latter was the most lrnnlensome.
Not to speak of the relations necessitatecl hy the needs of
the house, many persons songht e<lifieation arnl consolaL-\utogrnphic Lif e, c h. LXXXVI.

268

LIFE OF'

.JEAN~E

CHEZ.AUD DE ::'II.A.TEL

tion from the goocl ~lother, and her eharity did not pennit
her to rejeet their impol'tunings.
l>oulJtless for the pul'pose of renclering her submission
the more mel'torious, Om Lord permitted he1, nt that_time,
to be violently tortured by the grayel and other infirmities.
But neither snfferings nor insonmia hindered her from working at her painful task. Divine aids were given her for
this. After suffering for sevcral days from such a headache fat she scarcely saw what she was writing," she
says: "'Dear Lord, I do not dare to say tha t among the
graces You give me, the grace of writing with sucb violent
pains in my head, is the least, I am astonished at remembering wha t I am here putting down, for I am able to say
it only on paper, on which Yon make me talk by my peu
which You gnide, making of it a winged pen to express
the woncle1s of Yom goodness. " 1
In order not to inteITnpt her work, the Fonndress 'vent
so far as to refuse the earnest petition of certain noble
benefaetors whose zeal urged her to go as soon as possible
to a neighlwring city, where they desired to fonnd a mouastery of the Incarnate 'Vord. '"Before undertaking anything else," she repliecl, "I must execute the orders of the
Prelate.'' 2 'ro sueeeed in this, she relied solely on God.
She well knew that His sovereign will was the initial cause
of he1 trial, and that His goodness would not be fonnd
wanting. The fst lines which she tracecl were a prayer
in which she pmns forth the humble and holy confidence
of ber ~wnl, with ~nch nnction that we feel ourselves imbned
with it. "Te cmmot pass it over in silence. In it she
giYes ns the keynote in which the whole work is composed.
" Aclornble Tl'inity, my God and my a11, Incarnate \\7 ord,
my denr Spom~e alld love of my hcart, in all hnmility I beSPed1 Yon to sc11d me Yom divine and frnthfnl Spirit, "~hich
i:-.; not like that of men , whieh depal'ts and does not retnl'n.
Yom Hpi1it iH p1esp1lf- in eYe1'.ything h.v its irnmemdty. Tt
impmt:-.; ltf-; 1igltts when m1d to whom It pleases.
Yon
1 J\ u to gr aphi c Lif c, c h .
2I1J idem.

T~XXI.

SEIZUHE OF THE 'YnITIXGS OF ~IOTHER DE ~L\.TEL

2GD

promised the Apostles to send them the Spirit of trnth

who 'vould teach them all things, recalling nnd snggesti ng
to them what You h ad snicl to tbem. Yon k]l(nY the \Y0akness of my bocly, the t<_mtim10ns pains thnt r f.mffer aml
the difficnlty I haYe in remembering wlrnt I ''Tote bYenty
years ago, if Y on do not strengthen my memory and bring
back, by a singular gra<-:e, the things which Yon made me
"Tite by the commands of Fathers Yi11ars, Cotton, Jacquinot de :Jleaux. etc .. and which I thought I woulcl not
have to "Tite again. 0 m.r s". . eet Love, I ask Yonr pardon
for the great repngnance which I then had and still feel.
But since this is the command of the most Eminent Cardinal of I_jyons, my most dear and angust Prelate, I wish
to obey "Tithout protest. And since it is his pleasure t hat
I shall not write my sins while \niting my life, and he
~ms expressly forbiclclen this, I adore Yonr Providence and
beseech it to place me in the nnmber of those whose happiness is praised by David: Ecati quorum rcmissac 8unt
in iq u itatcs: et q uonnn f ('cfa 8ll 7l t pceca ta. .. Blessed are
t hey whose iniquities have been remitted and "Those sins
have been co\ered up. " 1 I can say \Yth the prophet .Jeremias:
Jii8criorcliae Domini quia non 8llmll8 consumpti quia non
rlc.fccenwt mi8erntionc8 cjl{8. "lt is due to the mercy of the
Lord that ".,.e have not been consnmed becanse His mercies
have not failed.m Jliscrir-ordias Domi7li in aetenwm calltab0. "r shall sing the mercies of the Lord forever.'' 3 4
\ The confidence and generosity of the pions :Jiother \Vere
blessed. This Spirit of truth, whose help she besonght to
recall the graces which had been bestmved upon .her. was
given in abundance. Her peu which she rightly called ~'the
winged pen'' flew so rapidly that her dnnghters who transcribecl what she put clmYn on paper, hacl difficulty in keeping up with ber~ althongh they often prolonged their labors
to midnight.
I . . et us hear :JI other cle :JI a tel herself tell of the di vine
assistance which wn~ granted her: '':Jfost dear LoYe, Y011
1Ps. XXXI. 1.
2Lam e n ta ti o ns . J e r .. III. 22.
~ Ps .

T~XXXYIII.

-tAu togr a phi c Lif e. c h . LXXI.

270

LWE OF JEANNE CHEZAilD DE l\IATEL

know how mortifying to me was this command and what

force and violence I had to use against myself to snrmonnt
my repngnances. If Yom Spirit, by Ris goodness~ had
taken me by the hand, and with His accustomed caresses led
me back to the ideas of the graces which the Father and
Yon had commnnicated to me, and if this Spirit had raised
me up to the source of divine ligh ts in the secret archives
where I ~mw the original of the extracts which had been
communicated to me, I could not have written with the
order and sequence with which I have been inspired by
that Spirit, as wise as Re is good, \Yho pas always solaced
me during this great toil, making me follow the ways by
'd1ich He had gnided me.m
In this wol'l\:, undertaken and accomplished under the
direction of the Roly Spirit, the zealous Mother labored
in the company of the Incarnate lVord. It is to Him, he1
dear Love, as she ordinarily calls Him, that she makes
the recital of her pains and joys and of the graces which
she has received. I t is to Him that she addresses all the
reflections inspired by the events which she relates. This
may be seen in the facts which we have borrowed from
those precious pages from which me takeu almost all of
our citations.
Thus divinely aided, the venerable Foundress was able
to acquit herself of her difficult ta~k in a very short time.
The work made a great quarto volume of more than six
lnmdred pages, which are divided into ninety chapters.
Sister Frances Gravier, the Recretary, took it to the Cardinal. He was astonished to sce his orders executed so
pr01lptly. He wm~ mlwh more astonif;;hed when he compared the writings now handed to him, with those which
he had taken away, and found sueh close eonforrnity between them. In both there were the same facts, the same
wo11s so full of nndion and dearness, the same sublirnity
of lights. Tt was impossible to de11y that both wel'e ti1e
work of the smne anthor.
f t hnd become evidellt to the Prclate that Mother de
1\f ate1 was inspil'Cd by the Roly Rpirit and that her work
1A 11to g-rnphi c Life , c h . LXXXVIII.

SJi}J7,URE 011' 'l'HE WRI'J'INGS OU' l\lO'l'HEil. DE l\IATEL

271

was willed by Him. Wrill he at last permit the foundation

of the monastery which she desires in his diocese? No,
he will not dra w from these proofs their practical consequences. He revoked his prohibition to Father Gibalin to
speak to the Jtioundress, but his detel'mination not to exccute
the Bull remained unshaken. I t is only when he is facing
his grave, when he is a prey to the disease from which
Mother de l\fatel hacl foretold to him that he would die,
that bis resolution changes.
If the seizure and examination of the writings of l\Iother
de l\Iatel, by Cardinal Richelieu, did not immedintely procure the advantages which ought to have resulted, th;
e\Tent, so painful in itself, remains as one of the g1eatest
fa vors do ne by the Providence of the Incarna te 'y ord to
His deai spouse. 1t stamprd the authenticity and 01tltodoxy of her w1itings with a seal to 'vhich no exception
an be taken.
The doubt which took hold of the Archbishop of Lyons,
when he first saw these astonishi11g pages, could have ariscn
in mor e than one mind which 'yould have suspectcd that
the writings atilmted to l\lother de l\Iatel, were only rep1odnctions from those of some theologians. But the trial
by whid1 the Cardinal assured himself of their authenticity,
refutes in advnnce every objection 'vhich could cast the
least suspicion on the humble and sincere soul of the venerable Fonndre~s, if she arrogated to herself, by lmse
plagiarism, the authorship of what had not corne from her
ow1~ heart and pen.
As to the qne~tion of orthodoxy, if the competent and
more than impartial examination of the Cardinal; had not
found it inepronehable he would not hmTe failed to cen~mre the w1iting:-; of ~Iother de ~Intel and deRtroy thoRe
whieh be had iu hiR possession, and dispe1se the Cong1egation so as not to nllow in his diocese the existente of
such a fonut of errors.
He aeted othendse. After he hnd tested, with nll his
prejudices, this teaching so pme and ~nblime, he did not
wish to d 1y 11p it~ ~omTe. ll e e\en COllllllHIHled the Fonndl'es~ to continue tu write dowu the g1aces nnd lights which

272

LlFE OF .JEANNE

CHEZ~\HD

DE

~IATEL

God gave her. ~Ioreover, he freated her manuscripts with

ue respett. He retained them up to his death. As l\fother
de BMy writes: ""This may have been because he wished
to examine them at his leisure, or because he wished to return them only to l\fother de M:atel herself, who sho1tly afte1
Ren<ling them to him, left Lyons to found new monasteries
and eame batk only in 1653, that is, ten years late1.m
Tn his lnst moments the Cardinal confided these writings to his Yicar Gene1al, as a sacred deposit, and exacted
n promise from him that he would return them to Mother
de l\la tel , as soon as ~he returned to Lyons, which promise
he faithfully fulfilled.
To sweeten the trial of 1\Iother de l\Iatel and recompense the generm;ity with which she submitted to it, her
ado1nble Spouse multiplied evidences of His love for her.
'"Dming the whole of A_dvent," she says, Yom goodness
gave me continual caresses and did not allow me to feel
any 1e~en tmen t against His Eminence for taking a wa~r my
wri tingR ... ~
W'1th the festivities of Christmas, these divine liberaljties increased still more. On J anuary 1, 1 G42, while she
waR JH'eparing for Roly Communion, lier good l\Iaster made
her feel that He was urged, by great love, to give Himself
to her. At the moment when the priest was taking the
ciborium out of the tabernacle, she heard the words: rcn i
8JJOJ1sa nrna,. vrni dr LilJ<lno. roro1rn cris. '"Come, l\ly s1,ouse,
<mue from Limrns to he c1owned. " 3 ~J esrn~ inv"ited hcr to
His Circumeision, to crown her with the blood \dtich He
~hed in it.
Ile wishcd her fRt to offcr her 11omage to His
Virgin ~Iothe1, nlRo cl'owned with Ilis ioyal pnl'ple, and
to say to he1: Salve sancta 1wrc11s cni:ra, pucrpcrn Rcgcm.
'"Hail, 110ly ~fotlie1, wlio i11 ehil(fi1th did:-;t lning f'01 th the
Ki11g.' ' lie nw<le 11t}1 f<'el ~o keenly 1.h<} appreheHNiom.; arnl
~11ffp1i11gN :n1~P<l

io fat lioly l\ Iothe1, to her \'1gi11al

NJ><rnse an<l to HimRelf. hy the lrnife cntting- 11is fl<'~h, that
)O\' llg" }:11'R flowe<l f1om lier eyeR lll a tol'l'Cllt. rl'hen the
1]\l;tnll S ('J'ip t
~,\

J\l e m o i1 I>\ M oll H' l'

ut ogTapld c Life, c il. L XXXV].

:.:Can t. 1 V, !> .

<]p

l ~ ] y, c ll . V , p . 43.

SEIZUUE OF THE WUI'rINGS OF l\IOTI-IEJU DE l\IATEL

273

- ivine. Infant uniting these tears with those caused to

the angnst farnily of Bethlehem, by that rigorous circnmcision said to her: ~'T'hon art also My Mother. 'l'hon hast
ngain bronght Me forth to the world.m
He wished the Immaculate Yirgin, the first to be ado1ned
and crowned by the Circmncision while she was weeping
before her Son whom she adored, to give her a share of
the same happiness. He said to her: ""Bow down thy
body and thy spirit. Adore all these mysteries and receive
that adorable iain which will make thee fe1tile in grace
and alnmdant in glory. Receive this Precious Blood, as
the crown of the kingdom of love which I give thee and
which 1\Iy Mother places on thy head. I t is in the joy
of l\fy heart that I crown thee with this diadem which is
l\fy own su bstnnce. )ly Blood is snstained by the divine
hnwstasis. l t is the Blood of a God. -My veins are to
thee, veins of life divine, of ways of salvation. I take
thee as ~fy wel 1-bel oved spone, . as My sponse of blood. I
will consnmmate the nuptials on the cross "~here thon shalt
be nnited to ~'le and perfectly empnrpled with MJ Blood.'' 2
'I'he Incmnate "Tord meant that these sacred gifts shonld
be shared by the w01thy ~Iother with her danghters. He
said to her: "'l have reserved to l\Iy sponse the mantle
of the qneen and the crown of royalty. Thon hast given
Me a great pleasnre by following My inspirations and giviug to l\Iy daughters and thine, at their first clothing, the
red sca1mlar beal'ng My name of Jesns. This scapnlar,
which recalls ~ly blood-stained cross, is the childlike p1esentation of My Cil'cumcision. 1\Iy well-beloved, admi1"~
the divine IJlan, which has made thee <lelay g1ving them
the pnrple mantle until the profession, which is the day
of their death to the world and of their life in God, ~o
as to _follow the order 01Jse1yed in l\ly birth nnd in ~Iy
death. At Bethlthem, in the stable, I Jrnd the l'Cd baud,
and at .Jcrnsalem, on Calvary, I was covered with a pnrple
mantle throngh dc1isio11, and with l\Iy own Hlood by the
crnelty of men, but inimarily by the love with which "'fy
1A u tograplli c Life. c h. L ....~xxvn.
~Ibidem.

274

LIFE

OI1~

JEANNE CHEZAP.D DE

~\IATEL

DiYine I~ather, the Holy SJJirit and I love thee. 'rhis love
waR the motive, principle and tenn of all l\fy snfferings.
Sin is itR ocea~ion and object. Death is only a privation,
and is only a falling away. Love is eRsential, uncreated~
subsistent. Love is God. Love is goodness, which, in itself,
is diffnsive. God alone knows and comprehends it perfectly. m
Our Lord added: '~Iy daughter, remember that I commanded l\lof\es to cause the vestments of Aaron and hi~
sons to be made. I 1evealed to him their material, form
and color, in which dorninated Iinen and purple, to honor
)fy hnmauity, ~ly innoceuce and ~fy love. r:rhe scapular,
which covers ~Iy daughters, represents the ephod and the
pectoral. But the name which is there inscribed surrouncled with thorns, above a heart JJierced by three nail~
and induding the words: Am or meus, is more august and
significant than the pectoral of the High Priest which bo1e
the names of the children of Israel. For men are not save<l
and angels are not glorified by th e ~e names. And all the
embroidery and p1ecions ~tones worn by Amon, are :wt
so precimm as My crown of t horrrn and My nails. A heal't
filled with love is more agreeabl e to Me than all these
ador11men ts. I am the on ly love of l\ly da ngh ters. I contain eminently docfrine and truth , the good and the benntiful. If th e y keep l\fe on their heart wi th true love, I wi 11
be the trne pro1Jit1tory and the IIoly of Holies. I will
offer l\1yself as a spotless victim, and they will appeaBe i\ly
complaints. I will 110 longer say that the foxes have their
dells and the bil'ds tltefr nests, but the Son of l\lan hatlt
not whereon to reRt IUs head, lJeeanse I will rest in their
heart. Being their love, I will be their tl'easure <'eiestial
and di vine.
"'f hon canst say to thy danghtcis that I draw thcm
witlt bom1~ of eharity, and that the eindnre whiCh tliey
wen r is mol'c p1ecion~ to l\fe tlrnn 1u1Jies and dinmomls,
rnme ]H'<.}ei on~ thaI1 fc hmI<ls wif whi<'h I was iicd and
whith wt1e tiHged with l\Iy hlood. .Aud hecanse these cords
mc Hot fou u d n rnong the other iwdTn rncntR of My Passion
1.\11lographic Life. c h . LXXXVII.

SEIZUilE OF THE WilITIXGS OF ::.\IOTHEil DE ::.\I.ATE1_,

275

snch as the na ils, the thorns, the lance, Proyide11 ce h as

desired thee to repl'esent them by cinctmes of red leather,
Lecause the e01d~ we1c cmc1ed "ith Jly Blood and Jfy
Flesh. By "eaiing this red cincture to honol' Jfy bonds
and recall My captivity, My danghters ,,ill atford Jfe
pleasnre. And if they present themselYes to Jle, gil'dled
with pnrity and inflamed with My love, they \Yill enter
iJlto ]Jy glory, where they will enjoy the eternal libe1ty
\Yhich divine love will give them.' ' 1
A few days after shmdng to the saintly Fonndress the
riches of the presents which He donated to her danghters,
the Incarnate \\ . . ord made kn\Yll to her in what measnl'e
He wonld vermit other souls to share in these sacred
treasnres.
The day after the E1)i1)hany, Jannary 7, lGJ-2, \Yhcn
Jlother de ]latel had gone, in the evening, before the Blessed
Saerament, the DiYine )faster r<~pt her spirit by a sublime
elen1tion and saicl to her: ""Jly danghtcr, I \\'~h to give
thee the wherewith to found and endow fiye mona~te1ies
for Jfe. ''.:! ~-Uthongh the voice of .J esus wns so well known
to her, the yenerable )lother hearing promises which so
far snrpassed any of her hopes, feared lest she might be
the victim of an illusion. As she relates : ""Dear Love, I
lrnow not if I feared lest Your trnth might be a temerity
proposed to JI~ spirit by him \Yho ~ransforms himself into
an angel of light, or if I did not dare to accept propositions
which were so magnificent, or if I wished to testify that
I was too well satisfied with haYing; founded the monastel'y
of A Yignon, throngh Yonr beneficence and by the fnlfillrnent of Your preyions promises. Rut I pra~ed Y on to
be pleased to confirm and favor it by Yonr graces. In this
I imitated the sentiment of Abraham, who thonght himself
so obligcd to Yonr goodncss for giYing. him Ismael, that
he clid not darc to hope for an Isa ac and he said to Y on :
Ptinam 1'i rnt lsmarl coram te. '1Jay Ismael lfre before
Thee.m .. Dcar Lord,'' 8he added, ""1 offer yon the f~t fiye
1\Yritings Vol . II. p. 1069.
2Autog raphic Lif e, ch. LXXXVIII.

3Gen, XVII , 18.

...

27G

LIU'E OF JEANNE CI-IEZ.\IlD DE :.\TATEL

danghters whom I have founded and veiled. Place them

in Y onr sacred wouIHls." "l\Iy da ngh ter, i t -j ~ been nRe of
thi~ gift whfrh thon ha~t made to l\ly five wounds, that I
wil l gi ve thee the menus to found five houses and thon slrnlt
:-;ay that it is I \Vho have enriched thee with spiritual and
i flmpmal goods." 1
As if she could not yet convi11ce herself that there would
he question of a promise whiG)1 was to have a material and
a fmmal realization, the :Mother objected: "Dear Lord,
imH_:h will be needed to founci: fiye monasteries. "'~fy
<laughter, He 'Yho has given thee rneans to found the monastery of Avignon, will give them also to found the others.
[ haYe ordered )Jy angels to tnke care of providing for
the execution of all My de8igns whieh I have manifested
to thee. ~:!
She then smy a ladder made of douds extending from
the East to the South. Each round was artisticallf fashioned and adjnsted. After it the1e came ships also made of
elonds and magnifitently equipped. As she relates: ""They
rtew befo1e a favorable wi11d which was spirit and life, and
Y on said to me that they we1e angels who \ve1e arming
themselves for me, and we1e bringing to me, from Heaven~
Yom divine favors. Your blessed ~fother commanded them
to take care of the establishment of Your Order and to
weaken the power of those who were strong by their dignity
aml anthority." 3
At this cqmmand of their divine Qneen, an angel strnck
a blow on a high tower, from which there then fell a fragment 1om1d hi shape and of the size of the eoin which is
ealle<l a tc.i;;fon, which was minted under Louis XII a11d had
the vnluc of ten or twelve cents. The DiYine ~Inster then
sn id to he1: ""~r.v danghter, he who cnn luwm thee is only
cbty. His mm shall he weakened. Behold the :fignre of
the wonml whi('li I will se11d to lrn1nble him who relies on
li i ~ mli h ori ty lll <1 ip~i Rh~ My 01de1.'~
'l'h i s p1oplwcy was
soon to have a strikillg fnl:fillmcnt.
4

l ~\utogTnphi c
-

2 Thicl e m .
:i t hi<l e m .

4lb id cm.

Lif e . c h. LXXXVIII.

8EIZUilE OF 'l'IIE \YnITIXGS OF )JOTHER DE MA'l'EL

277

W'"hat the \Yorthy :Mother had now seen and heard~ ww;
to be echoed in the world and in hel' life. That lofty
tower smitte11 hy au augel was the great 3Iinister, whosc
genius was then the bulwark of France and the tenol' of
her enemies. Eight months late1\ Riehelieu who nccompanierl Louis XIII to the conquest of Roussillon, was constrained by the pain caused by an abscess in his l'ight mm,
to rcturn from Xarbonne to Lyons and three months later
lie was dead. Thus was verified to the letter the \Yord
spoken by the soyereign Master of life and death to his
humble handmaid. The arm of hirn who could harm her,
wns weakene. . . \nd thnt fragment of the f01m and size of a
teston was a perfect figure of the abscess with which he
was smitten.
As to the promise to giYe her the means to found fiYe
.monasteries from her mn1 resources, the Inearnate \Yord
\Yas to keep it fnithfully. As we have seen, already in the
year 1635, ~he Se1aphs had assured her that He, \Yho in
clothing Hrn.:elf wi th a bod~T ' hnd wished only the su bstance of a Yil'gin, also \Yished he1 to be the sole Foundress
of His Order, in temporals as \Yell as in s1)irituals, and that
they undel'took to procure for her the necessal'ies for its
establishment. rrhey had executed their promise and proYided for the establishment of the fil'st monastery. N ow,
wafted on by the Spfrit of life, they were flying in search
of a new cargo of benefits. He1l is enraged by the knowledge of the merciful designs of .J esus, and will make its
last supreme efforts to hinder the Yenerable 3Iother from
accomplishing them. She will sustain its repeated assaults.
\Yith the constancy of a saint, and will suggle until her
dea th to rem a in fai thful.
A fter these prophetic visions, Our Lord fa vored the
worthy )fother, on that same da~r of Jnnual'y 7, 1GJ:3, with
precious lights on the mystery of the Epiphany, by showing her a tabernacle of cr:rstal which "as most beautiful
and enehased with gold. It opened neither on the side nor
at the bottom but only on the top, and was destined to
receive the divine Sun of Justice. As the vene1able )fother
~ays: "W'hen I contemvlated this tabel'nacle in which Your

278

L'E OF

.JEAN~E

CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

l\fajeRty wisl1ed to dwell, my spirit was snspended and Yon

Raid to me: :My danghte1, l\Iy sponse, it is thon who art
thi~ tabe1nacle of crystal, i11to which it is l\fy pleasnre to
e11tc1 a11d to dwell in it and to make My glories iesplendent.
I1hy Ronl, which is ansparent, receives the Divine Spouse,
W'ho is a Sun that enters the nuptial chamber. 'fabernacles
of wood, silYer, or gold are not suited to the Sun like this
one, for they are opaque bodies which light does not penetra te. Sorne souls frnctify like wood, otheis ring like silver,
and others again stand trials like gold, but these are not
transpareut and do not make l\fe clearly known. I have
shown thee that thon art crystal, but remember that thon
mt fragile like glass. ~rl10n makest Me known, beeause
thy childlike simplicity renders thee transparent. I cause
l\Iyself to be seen in thee, as in a mirror, and the loYe I
have for thee, makes l\fe do in thee and with thee alone all
1 do through others. I lovingly enchase thee in the gold
of l\fy love, and I ring, by thy pen and tongue, like silver.
'"I wish that this tabernacle which I sho",. 'thee, shall be
exposed to the 'vorld, that it may see My light which renderR i t more ben ntifnl th an all the tabernacles of Jacob.
If the obsti11atc will not let themselves be vanqnished
hy l\Jy good ness, they shall be exterminated h~r l\ly
justiee. My daughter, fear nothing. I will deliver thee
from all evils. I "'i11 lower the hills of the emth, the
g1cat of the world, to l\fy feet, to the path of l\ly eternity.
'Yait yet a little while, and I will be Yictorions in thee.
Reeeive :My blood in the tabernacle thon hast seen. It is a
vessel of eleetion for that pnrpose. Emieh thyRelf with
My hlood; I have placed thee npon the altar, as a crystal
vase, to reeeive it. In this blood, thon shalt waRh thyself
and thon Rhalt hleach t11y robe and thy soul shall fh1d its
agreeable bath.'
""'J1he wmd~ Yon f-ipoke to me were efficacion~. In spi1it,
r Rnw mysclf ernbelfo.;hed and emicl1ed with Yonr pnrity,
heauiy, and Jichcs. As fa1 as it pleased Yon to revcal it,
1 lrnew that Yon li:we, in Yomself, all the tremm1es of
wiR<lmn a11d Jrnowle<lge, and fat Yon :we fnll of grace and
glo1y m1<l <liviuity. l ~t<lrne<l Yon, ])]'ORfrated m spilii- and
1

SEJZURE m~ 'rHE WillTlXGS OB~ ~\lOTHER DE :\L-\.TEL

279

bmYed down at Your feet, with all the angels, "\Yith the
four animnls, nnd the twenty-four ancients, and I offered
to Yon all that Yon had g;iven me, saying to you :1 Dignlls
est Agnll8 qlli occislls est accipcre virtute111 et divinitatrrn
et sapicutiam et fortitudi11c111 rt honornlll et gloriarn et enedieti?JM' JJI. "'r11e Lamb thnt waN slnin is wo1th~,. to ieeeive

power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honor and
glmy nnd benediction."~
'fhis ci-.n;tal tabernade destined to receive the Sun of
Justice and to contnin the divine blood, was a faithfnl
irnnge of the graees to which the Foundress and her Order
were specially called. \Yhat is the vocation of a Daughte1
of the Incarnate \Yord bnt the election to beeome the spouse,
C'OI)_Y, and abode of Him \Yho, being the \Yord, is ~ub
stantinl light, and \Yho took flesh in order to lrnYe blood to
shed for the honor of God and the salYation of men. If
this Inearnate n,..ord is desirons of enriching nll souls "ith
the treasmes of His lights and 'vith the mel'ts of His blood,
it was to make ne" and more abuudant diffusions ()f them
thnt He wished to institnte an Orde1 which ~ears His "Xmne,
aud in which all details, even to the white or red in its
habit, won-Id bP testimonials of this ~ac1ed appanage of
light and of the divine blood. l\lother de Jla tel was to
receiYe~ in herself, the plenitude of the graces whose stremns
would flow over ber Order.
W. e have seen how manifold were these graces during
the sweet festivities of the NatiYity. But they did not eease
wHh this hlessed time.
On the feast of Rt. 1Intthia~.
Febnrnry 24, lG-.!2, this divine Sun macl e . His e1y~
tal tabe1naele resplendent with one of the most radiant
mauifeRtations of His beauties and ardors, and filled it
with waves of His adorable b1oocl. "On that daY,'' ~nYs
~fother de l\1atel, ~'You placed me in the portion .of Y 0~11
saints, in Your lights ! l\Iy soul, full of loye and knowledge, looked on Yon, with admiration and respect. kno"~
ing that Yon are a volnntary l\lirror, and that, at tim es.
it pleases Yon to manifest Yourself to inflame the spouse
1.Autogrnphic Life ,
2.Apoc :- v , 12 ,
-

en, LXXXVIII.

280

LIFE

Oli~

JEAN~I~

CHEZ.AUD DE l\U.TEL

"'hom You deign to love.ni The worthy )lother lrns attempted to sketeh some of the grnces which she then reeeived. Iler words are fiery darts. 'Yhilst reading them,
'n~ -feel that her soul was in a ra IJtnre 'd1en she wTote them.
'Ye shall cite only some lJassages. Seeing St. ~latthias eompensate for the treason of .Judas, by fidelity to his vocation ,
she is seized "'ith an intern;;;e desfre of also satisfying y lie1
love~ foi the ingn:ltitude of the .J ews to J esns.
She says
to Him: "'Dear Spouse, find in my soul that reciprocity
of love whieh Yonr own people refm~ed You. 'This is rny
dcsire,~ sccundu111 disp cnsatioJZ em Dei,. quac data est niilti
in vos, ut implram T'er7J1t111 Dei. ""aecording to the clispensation of God, which is given to me towards Yon, that I nrny
fulfill the word of Goc1." 3
She woulcl have wished to trimnph over the indifferenee
of those who despise the boundless charity of their Savio1.
~he crieN ont:
"'l\Iay they no longer receive Yom g1aces
in vain; may they "derive pl'ofit from Yonr dfrine work;
mny they reeognize, with all Yom saints,- the riehes of Yom
glory ~ the length, height, depth and breadth of Yum chmity."4 Rhe see~ thnt, mged by the ardor which inflames
her, her desl'es pass all bounds: --~Tost dear Love, pal'clon
my excesses and permit me to sny that they imitate Your
own. 'Yhy do Y ou surpass by Yom goodness, a 11 om
lllH lire "!n 5
And she is again rapt in ecstnsy in presence of the
prndignlities whieh He makes of His love and Hi~ lood.
\Vhat can I sav"?" she continues, '' l striYe to smrc mn;elf
"
by S\Yimming a way from the 1i vu let~ of Yom wisdorn , nncl
J ~ee myself snnonnded hy toneut~ of a sea of blood. If
love did no1 ~ail hn1>pily over that sea, I wonld say to Yon :
Ub ent me de sa1t,<jniui1ts) Deus) Deus . salntis JJl<'ac. "Del ivp1 m(~ fl'orn hlood, 0 Oocl. thon God of m~? ~alvation."G
B111 ~irne Yon (lesil'e to wm~h arnl nonrish mr with thi~
Pl'el'.ion!-; Hlood (hil'ing my lit'<~ , and h) hmy me in it after
'-'

1Autog-raphi c Life, c l! . LXXXVllT.

2 f biclem.

::Col. J, 2fi.
1,\utogravllic Lifc, c l1 . LXXX\'T ll .
!i l hi<l em.

<iPs. L, 15.

SEIZURI~ OF THE WIUTI::\'"GS OF ~UOTHER DE :\U.TEL

281

death, I "~]sh to 1fre and die on that sea of flames and

there to chant the himnph of Your loYe. If I put into
port on earth, it will be to announce to men who inhabit
it, that by the blood of Your cross Yon have pacified Heaven
aml emth. It wi1l he to say to them that they lllllRt no
longer despise the Precious Blood, which is the price of
their redemption, and that they must no longer remain
shackled by the chains of sin, from whose slavery fis
diYine Blood lrns deli vered them. It is for them al one
to decide to live in the libe1ty which Yon have achieyed for
them; liberty in which Your Spirit shall lead, guide, and
elevate them, from glo1y to glory, until they are transformed
into the glory of this Spirit of love. \Vhere there is love,
there is no pain~ or if there be any, it is loved and s'veetened.m
1Autographic Life, ch . LXXXVIII.

CH . .'-\ prrER XVI

The Cardinal Minister and the Royal Court at Lyons

1G42
In that divin e light, the voluntnry :Mirror, in which the
venerable Mother contemplated the mysteries of glory and
love which transportecl ber soul, she knew also some buman
events of the greatest interest: the conspiracy at that time
formecl by the imprudent Cinq-Mars, and also the death
of the great ~fin ister. rrhese circumstances were comnrnniea ted to her, with such definiteness that, on the veiy day
she reeeiyed thern, she advisecl the J esuit, Father Rerthand,
to warn his brother against all association with Mr. de
'rhou with whom he had been very intimate, in order not
to be ens1rnred in bis disgrace. Let us listen to her as she
relates these IJrOphetic revelations:
''Sometimes You deign to mauifest to Your spouse, not
only mysteries which iegard salvation and eternal glory,
but also secrets which touch the temp01al life of those
who are still pilgrims on the way, and th~ care Yon take
of earthly monarchies and of Ministers of State. You
revea led to me that You would frustra te all of his designs
(she speaks of the conspiracy), and that You wonld proteet Ca1di11a l Richelieu who, on that ve1y day, was lenvi11g Lyo11s, with the King, to go into Catalonia. You snid
to me: l\fy danghter, the Cardinal will go no further tlrnn
Narbonne. F1om there he will return victmions, but siek
from the blow which you saw My angel strike him when
hc smote the wall, on the seventh of Jannary. 'rlie Cardinal
will die, after having retired to his own home. Narbonne
is the limit of his jomneying. He must kn'v t1rnt he is
<>al'ih like other men.' m
Histmy 1'Ct01'ds the accomplishment of Pach detail of
ihis 1nophecy.
~orne \n~eks afte1wm<h~, the mails 1>1onglit nlarming
news about the Cm'(lirntl"s lic<llth. I1l11es~ stopped him at
L\11tngT:iphi c Life , ch. LXXXVIII.

282

C~UWI.NAL :;.\llNISTER A~D UOLU_, COURT }~.T LYOXS

283

~ arb01me.

1\fany thought that he . wonld die there. Immecliately the good :\Iother hacl reeourse to inayer. She
says: ' I made tlnee novenas, one to St. 3lichael, another
to the Blessed Yirgin, and a third to the Incarnate 1'.,..ord,
for the cure of the arm of His Ducal Eminence 'Yho was
reported to be Yery ill. I know, 0 my Divine Savior, that
the \Yise )fan teaches that there is no evil in the city which
Your most equitable justice cloes not ordain or at least
permit. You 'Yo1md to cure. I beg of Yon that he 'Yhom
Yon have " . . ounded may not die so soon, but may return
from N arbmrne, aecorcling to Yom 'yord. " 1
X ot only was he to return, but all his snfferings we1e
not to weaken his genius. \Yith his eagle glance, he pierced
the secret of the plot made against him. He gained possession of a copy of the treaty concluded with the enemy
b;v the conspirators, and, some time afterwarcls, reclining
in a kind of wooden couch borne by twenty-four of his
guards, he arrived at Lyons, dragging behind hirn Cinq-:\f ms and de 'rhou, to conduct their trial in the second
city of the realm.
At the first news of the arrest, several clays before
the entry of Richelieu into Lyons, :Madame de Pontat, the
sister of )fr. de Thou, had hurried to follow the trial and
use._ eYery means to save her brother whom she greatly
loved. She came to the Incarnate w 01d monastery to
recommencl the suecess of his case to the prayers of the
Foundress. Her manner wa~ so earnest that her so1Tow
and desires touched the heart of the good ~Iother who
JH'Oceeded with all confidence to conjure her dear Love to
~:we the life of the unfo1tunate accusecl.
'fhe Sovereign
~ra~ter said to ber: lta statutwn rst srmrl 111ori. '"It bas
been th us decreed to die onee. 2 She l'e}Jlies: "'l )enr Lord,
1 knmv well that it hn~ been deereed that men die on('e.". ~fy da ngh ter,'' 1e1Jl ie<l .J e~n~, ""th u~e who ml dc a<l and
die a ~econd deaf, die twiee. 'l'hat OllCC which I exp1essecl
to thee is to denote that de 'rl10u will not die the second
1

1Autograpllic Life, ch. LXXXVIII.

2Heb. IX, 2 '7.

284
den th whid1 is the death of the wicked. He will ie only
onee and the blessed momeut. of his ete1nal happiness is
nigli. "' 1
Snch a definite answer left no room for donbt. On September 7, l 64:2, ::\Iother de l\Iatel made it kno\Yn to Father
Gibalin and urged him not to allow l\ladame de Pontat
suspect it. " yith all he.r friends and the majority of her
jndges, she hoped that, as he had not taken part in the
i)Iot and W'"as gnilty only of having known and not revealed
it, de 'rhou would not be condemned to death.
On _Septembe1 S, Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed
V-frgin, l\Iadame de Pontat came to communicate her hopes
to the Founchess. She was accompanied by l\fr. de Boissac.
He believed that he could assu her that the death senteuce would not be pronounced. ~rhe w01thy Mother, beiug
unwilling to increase the sonow of her unfortunate friend,
di d not reveal her sec1et, but her sinceri ty perm i tted her
to repl,v onl.r evasi vely to the ~xposition of all of these
grounds for hope.
Four days la ter, on Septem ber 1:2, all these ill mons
we1e followed by monrning. Cinq-~Iars and de 'J1hon died
on the seaffold, in sentiments of faith and repentance, which
filled all hearts with sympntlty. for them.
l\fother de l\latel ieceived special assurances of thefr
salyation. As we read in her life: '"From their tempoial
shame Yon have caused to be born thefr eternal gl01y. 'l1he
G1eat One ( Cinq-l\Iars was tlrns called at the Conl't by
an allusion to his office of Grnnd-Master of the Hor1-1e),
11ot having h01101cd Yon in ltis greatness, when he liad oc('mdon, 1ecognized Yon in his abasement when he wns nem
the end. Ynnity and pleasme had blimkd him during his
life, hnt Yom tl-111-h enliglttelled him Ht the honr of denth.'~
.. \s to ]1,1n11cii-; <le 'rlwn, the FomHhesi-; k~mned that, ns
in 11i:-; yonili ltc hHl n tewler devot-ion to the Blpi-;~e<l Yirgi11,
ihHt ~'lothe1 of ~IP1'(:y, Jrnowillg' ilint hc wonl<l lof'e JlennJl
il' hc livPd 1011,-<1, Jwd 1no<1n<'d for him thi:-; denf, in
wh ich the Jw1oi c Hdi-; of lrnmility, iesigllliion , m1d panlou
2

1 1\ ulo graphic Lifc, c ll. XCI.

:! llJitl cm.

C.\RDI~.\L l\lINISTim AND UOYAL COUR'l' A'l' LYONS

285

of bis enemies, which he was to perform, would not only

rissme his salvation, lrnt also place him in the possession
of a high degree of beatitnde. As a pledge of the reality
of this promise, the good Mother received a participation
of llis felicity. Her soul was overflmYing 'Yith it when,
on the day afte1 the execution, Septembe1 1:1, l\Iadnme de
Pontat, crushecl "~if grief, came to visit hr and said : ""h
l\fothe1, you kne"~ my hrother "\YHS . to die and yon hid it
from me. Pnther Gibalin has told me that you announced
it already on September 7.m
1'he same clwrity whieh had decide<l :\Iothe1 de :.Matel
to let none of these revelations be known before the sentence for the execntion had been received, now demanded
of her to reveal all and she did so. I t is easy to undeistaud what a balm to the wonnd of that heart so cruelly
torn, were the "~ ords of a soul all infiarned and melting with
'the happiness with whid1 he whose loss "~as mou.rned, was
eterna11y blessed.
In the company of the Foundress,
~Iadmne de Pontat eanght a glimpse of the diville glories
nnder the ray~~ of which, sorrow assumes to oui eyes its
real fo1m, that of a benefit of the divine mercy. :\Iother
de )fatcl spared nothiug to sweeten the bitterness of that
great affliction. She gaYe )fadame de Pontat hospitality
in her home cluring the first clays of monrning. There she
received the heart of he1 regretted brother, and fnrnished
the money foi the fine which she had to pny for him, m; is
prove<l b~r the mensures taken for the reimbursement of
that sum by Peter Sguier.

'Ye have just mentioned the Chancellor of France. By

assembling at Lyons the commission elw1gecl w-ith instituting the process against the conspirato1s. Providence had
wishecl, as the Incarnate 'Yord revealed, to make )fother
<le Mate] enter into relations with him who wonld favor
the eRtabliRluuent of His monasterics.
111 1 n:1~ wheu the )f mehioness de la Lande hall exhanste<l
hcr sh me of eonstm1ey mHl a lmuclonecl her projed of coopern ting by he1 wenl th with the fouuding of tlie mounstery of Paris, she had corne to annouuee to Mother de
1Autographic Life , ch. XCI.

2SG

LIFID OF .J !DANNE

CIIE~.um

DE l\IA'l'EL

l\fatel, that ~fr. de Chateauneuf, then Keeper of the Seals,

had iesolYed to refuse tlrn Bull of the Order of the Incarnate \Yord when it would be presented to him for_ the
lette1s patent of the King. The Foundress had gone to
pour the bHterness of this opposition into the heart of her
on ly Protector. ~J esus replied to her: ''My daughter, he
will be no longer in that office when I ~hall establish My
01der.m A shol't time. after, He declared to her that He
ealled Peter Sguier to the diguity of Chancellor of France,
and she saw Our J_,ord band him the seah; with Hi~
sovereign hand. "'Sorne days after,'' she says, ''You showed
me how You had chosen Mr. Sguier to whom Y ou Yourself
gaye the ~eals. I saw them attached to a blue c01d or
ribbon.''~

.A.Jter her rctnru to Lyons, Mother de Matel had confided thjs prediction to Father Gibalin who said to her:
'"'rl1e Uhantellor is not dead and those ofces are for life."
She replied: ""l know nothing abmt those thi11gs, but that
is wha t ''Tas made known to me by Our Lord.'' 3 Sorne time
after that, the Father came to her to announce that Peter
~gnier was Kcepe1 of tlte Reals, but he added: ""He is not
Chanc-ellor, thoRe two ofiees are. distinct from each other.''
Father, T have see11 tliem nnited in him. Om Lord has always aceompli~hed what He told me. Yon shall see the
effett of His w<.ml~. " 4
rrwo yems Inter, Pete1 Sguier was Keeper of the Seals
and Chm1cello1 of Frauce.
l >ul'ing the sojomn of the high ~iagisal'y at Lyous, au
attndi of the Chm1eery, M. Germain _H ahe1t, Abhot of
C()ri~y, one of the fir~t mem l>ers of the Frend1 Acndemy
aud one of the glent wits of his day, beearne ncquainted
with ]1-,afer Oihali11. From him the .Ahhot l<)mned what
lrnd hee11 ieve;tled to the Fom1d1'e~s of the <hde1 of the
I11cm11ate 'Yl'(l :ih011t ~Il'. ~()g11ie1. Rt111l'k hy ihi~ ]ffC<lidi011, hc <le:-;iled to k11ow i1- ~ nnthm, arnl, 011 ~epternber
R, lie we11t h> t lie hou~e of t'llC ( ~011g1egnt-i01i.
At hi~
1,\utogT:1pl1! f,if e. c il. LIX .
:dlii<lern.
:n l>i<krn .

.1Jbhfom.

C.\HDIXAL ~I IXISTEn _\XD noY .\L counT Xl' LYOXS

287

arriva] l\fother de )fatel was in the pal'lor with Father

Gibalin ~ to wh0111 ~he wns giving an aceonnt of the favors
whieh Our Lml had hestowed npon her that yery day and
in "'hich Ile lwd ghen to he1 soul ~orne gli111)1~eN of the
ineom1rnrnble glm.'' of the Blessed Yirgin.
On the entry of the Abbot of Crisy, natmally this pions
converi;mtion was interruptecl. 'J'he Fom1dress did not cheam
of contrning it in presence of the ne"' Yisitor, when Father
Gibalin, '""hom the words of the worthy 3Iother had penetrated with admiration, and who kne".,. the pedection of
her obedience and hnmility, commmHled her to repeat wha t
she had jnst said. She submitted 'vith simpli city.
'Yhile she was explaining in 'vords which we1e not of
earth, the excellencies of the diYine )lother, the light in
which she contemplated them beamed on her conntenance
\Yhich became resplendent. The Father and the Abbot listened, gazed, and were thrilled with resped and admiration. On this Thabor where th ey met, the:r we1e bound
b~.,. an affection whieh hl.steel with their lives, and the link
of which was their veneration for this priYileged son] whom
both wre destined to protect and guide.
As was to be expected, the Abbot did not limit hnself
to one visit. The more he sa w of the Foundress, the more
he recognizecl in her, supernatnral lights and experiences
in the ways of God, joined with a candor and hnmility
which ravished him. Soon the Academitian and Doct01
'becmne the disciple and spiritual son of her whom henceforth he will consider the ~Iother of bis soul. He spoke
to the f~liancellor of the predictions she had made about
him and of the wonders that he had discovered in her.
Peter Sgnier clothed with the highest magistrac~.,. of
France, under the severe exterior of the Chief Jnstiee, concealed a heart which was fervently Christian and incorruptible, incapable of accepting any doctrine whose ortho- doxy was not evident. He belonged to a race of magistra tes that "joined k1g and eonu ti-y in one smne love,

288

LIF'E 011' .JFUNXE

CIIEZ~\.llD

DE MATEI..i

lrnt lon~d al>ove al 1. a boye king and country, Ood, and

-Tnstice and T111th which corne from God.m
'rhe repented aRSlll1nces of his p1omotion to the impol'iaut oflkes wli ieh he tillcd, m<lfle so long hefore by
~Iothc1 de l\fatel, monscd his interest, and what the Abbot
of Cl-isy had told him of the virtnes and graees \Yhieh
he admfred in her, made him resolve to jndge the case
hi1rn~elf.

The first time Peter Sgnier came to see her, his looks
her such fear that she had great difficu lty in replying to him, althongh, as she 1elates, ''the w01ds he spoke
to me were replete with gentleness, sincerity and chariiy.
After his departme, this fear did not leave me nntil I had
made my complaints to Your charity which dissipated them
hy saying: )ly daughter, the exterior of the Chancellor is
like the hnll of the walnut. It is, at first, stern and difficnlt of access. But bis inte1ior is mild, anointed with
the oil of ~Jy graee and mercy, which are strong in h im,
'Yhell he retmns to see thee, thon wilt not fear him. l
desfre that he alld thon shall be like the tvrn Che1ubs
\rho were above the Ark of the Covenant, and that yon
two shall pe1petually regard :Me with a pure intention. IIe
jndges things which are exterior and thon jndgest those
which are interior, according to the ordailling and election
which I lrnYe nia<le for you both. I t is I who cansed the
Seals to be given to his keeping, and W,.ho made him Chan cellor. In this, men have been only the instrument:-; of
My will. Rest aRsnred, ~Iy daughter, that he will promote
the eF-tablishment of l\Iy Order in France. He wil1 make
thee go to rmis and accompfo.;11 the vision whkli thon
had~t nt Romme miel in which thon sawest tl1e aim:-; of
P1mHe joinecl to i hose of thP IIoly See, for thr exeention
of .'\ly design~: " 2
The fe:u whi<"h hacl overcome l\lother de l\f atel hnd
11ot J>l'evenkd the Chancellor from iecognij',ing hp1 erni11e11t
virtnc 01 from l'c<}l ing the atfraction which i~ exe1cised
cause~

llntrocluet ion
Volnm9 V of tll e

t(l

tl10 l\'f e rnoir ~ n f Matth e w

p . l ::L

M e moir~ .

2A utogrnp1Jic Lifc, ch. XCI.

l\Iol t> l> y Count Mol .

CAUDIN.\L ~\lI~ISTFm .\KD TIOL\L counT AT LYON8

28!)

by Ranctity. Thenceforwanl he manifested an attacJnnent

fu11 of devote<lnesR aml veneration fo1 the pions ~lothel'

and she v1ofessed for him a respeetful and filial affection.

She called him her father and l\fadmue Sguier he1 mothe1.
as is seen in thei1 eonesponden<:e which haR eornc down

to

llS.

Among the grea t person ages a~f'em hlecl a t Lyom; for

the trial which had been held, the Chaneellor and h]s hom~e
hold were not the only ones who made the aequai111-a11ee
of l\fother de Matel and remained her friends. \Ye shall
mention two others who becmne most devoted to her, ~lesRrs.
de Pl'ezac and de Rossignol. 'rl1e former was a Conncilor
of Rtate. He was a wit and a distingnished w1ite1, but
a poor Christian, being eareless about the things of h is
soul. His interviews with the Fonnd1ess produced ill him,
results similm to those wrought in )fr. de Bly, and transformed him into another man. l\fr. de Priezac always regarded )lother de ~Intel as being, aftei God, the author
of his conversion. He ealled her tlle lncomparale. His
attachment to her was a kind of worship, in "\Yhich he never
wave1ed. He wished to be her spiritual son, and by following her conrn;eJs became a great servant of God. She
persuade<l him to eo_n~erate to the glury of ~lary, the
talents "\Yhich he had received from Heaven, and he wrote
a pions and lenrned wmk on the privileges of the Blessed
Yirgin.
1I r. de Rossignol did not need conversion. His thoroughly Christian soul had eYen a supernatural intuition to
discern what came from God. Ail that he saw in l\Iother
de )'f ntel appeared to him so evidently diYine . that he
wished to bind himself to the "\York whieh the Incarnate
'Yord had confided to her, by a kind of vow of devotion,
to which his heart and piety remained eve1 faithfnl. In a
letter whieh he wrote to the Foundress twelve yeais later,
w0 ~ee him renewing hi8 promise whose obligation, he said,
he wished to carry into the next \'\'Orld. He also wished
to be the spiritual son of the Yene1able )Jother.
The following letter will giYe some idea of the dispositions of that pions l\laster of the Acconnts, tmyards l\Iother

290

LIFI~

OF .1K\NNE crrnZAHD DE l\1ATEL

de ]fatel. It was wriHen in the parlor of her monastery

of Pmi:-.;, :-.;orne days after :-.;he had left it to estahlish tlwt
of Lyons.
"'Being he1e f'm the affair whith the Hev. l\fother will
explain to you, I shall not lose this chance of doing myself
the honor of w1iting, to nsk you a thousand pardons for
my lazines~, and to assure you, here in your own holy
house, or rather that of the Incarnate Wonl, and in His
presence, tliat I am ever the most zealous servant of His
and your Order: '0 Lord, I have lovecl the beant.v of Th~y
house and the place where Thy glory dwelleth.' I am ever
the most humble son of rny most dear l\fother. 'Because I am
'I'hy se1-vant and the son of 'l"hy bandmaid,' and I am ever
religimrnly observant of the command of which I s1wke to yon
on a former occasion. I here gladly renew to you my profession, twelv~ years after my first vow, in conspectn totius
JJOJW li: ""in the sight of all the people," sinee I am so far
f1om wishing a dispensation from it, that I wish to carry
its obligation into the next worlcl, on acconnt of the gratitude whieh I owe you for so many beautiful and holy things
imparted to me by the blessing of your conversation and
foi so many good praye1s for which I am obliged to your
generous charity. l\Iy ve1y good and Revere11d Uother, I
heseerh yon to iedouble those prayers while I am depl'ived
of yonr other aids nnd be assnred, that of all yonr spiritua 1
chil<lren, yon have not one who che1ishes more zeal or respect for yon or who is more foi thfnl th an myself.
Yonr rnm;t humble, faithfnl and obedient servant,
-IloSSIGNOL.
Pmis, at the C011Yent of the THemnate \Yord,
Xovem bel' 1 :3, l HGJ."

'rhe ne(}d felt by tltose who eame ncm to l\[other de

MaiPl of' pl:wing ihPmNclves nndc1 hp1 guidance and of
lwcorn11g he1 <liNciples arnl spi1itnal d1ildre11, is fonnd
i11 the ll~t01y of all the ~ai11t~. _._\econling as they were
the m01e i11 tPll igent, lem1wd, flll(l pions, they showed themselves the rno1c e:unest and co11~t:rnt ll this desire. We

CARDINAL l\IINISTER AKD ROL\_L COUR'!' .AT LYO~S

2!)1

have just named the Abot of Crisy, Mr. de Priezac aud

l\lr. de Rossignol. But they were not the only ones. Besides those whom the sequel of this history will oblige
us to mention, the correspondence of the Foundress reveals
a surprisiug nnmber of priests, religions, and distingnished
1Je1sonages who begged or gratefnlly acknowledged the
favor of being her spiritual sons. If )lother de niatel
had been one of those domineering characters, "~ho su bjngate and fo1ce others to follow them, this influence could
be explained natnrally. But the cause of her influeuce was
quite different. \Vith her elevated spfrit, her generous and
noble heart, and her soul replete 'v-ith candor and humility,
the venerable l\lother never stooped, but ever rose to the
principle of all the graces which she received. In them
she regarded only the effects of the infinite goodness in
which she lost both herself and those 'v-hom she admitted
to her intimacy. 1-"'his Yrns the only secret of the asceudancy which she exercised over select souls. She so disappeared that those who approached her, felt themselves in
imrnediate contact Ydth God and bathed in His light. The
need of coming nearer to God and of walking in His divine
light, engende1ed the need of 1)Iacing their souls in the
hands of that )lother whose personality was fused with
the splendors in which Our Lonl enveloped her and the
graces which He imparted to her in such abundance.
The good Mothe1 used the ascendancy which she possessed over lier S})iritnal children, to cause them to love
one another and also to ai<l oue another like brothers in
their need. Sorne fragments of two letters "Titteu by
her to the Abbot of Cl-isy, dated February 4, and G, of
the year 1GJ5, cornmending to hirn the younger ~fr. Bernardon, will give an insight into her maternal solicitude.
'"'l1he departnre of M1. Bernmdon carn~es me to inforrn
i he Onlinmy. You knmy that he i~ a son of yonr mothe1,
and that lie is de~irons of growing in Chl'istinn vil'tne and
mmnlity before God and men. His father and motlH._1
desfre that he shonld go away foi sume time to yonr grent
city of Paris, where there i~ a UniYersity for divine and

human sciences.

He is all'eady a Doctor of 1'heology and

LH'E O.F'

JE~\.NNE

CI-IEZ~\TID

DE 1\L\'.rEL

of civil and canon la w, lrnt he will c01rnidei himself blessed

and obliged to your goodness, if you teach him how to
live in a place wheie all ,\Till be so new. 'l'he glory of God,
lnbanity, and duty to your mother are powerful motives
fcw .you to be an e1de1 b1other to him. Yon know mv
.,
franlrness which hides nothing that I think I ought to say
to my childien for the gloiy of Gocl, foi thefr perfection, oi
foi the edification of our neigh bor.
T beg you to aid, by yom counsels, yom brother who
is yonng and has nevei been in society. In this he is altogether nntutored. I fear lest he may gl'ow cold in the
}H'adice of vtue and go from one extreme to the other.
T wonld like to see him devout and cultmed as he ought
to be, Chdstianly and morally.
A.JI that you do for my child, your brother, you will
do fol' her wl10 is devotedly,

'fhe sojomn at Lyons of the Hoyal Comt, made fol' the

Fonndress infiuential and deYoted friends, bnt did not
obtain for her the favor of the great :\linister who, Jess
than a year previons, had eommended ber with admiration to the attention of his brother. A fortuitous circumstance 1evealed the eause of this.
On the feast of St. Fiancis, October 4, lf>4:2, the Abbot
of Crif-1.Y delivered, in the diapel of the Congregation, an
exhol'tation "'hiclt. "'as attended bv
. the Chancellor and 11ia11v.
of the -'Iagh.;trntes "ho wel'e stil 1 in Lyon~. Among th;
number was ~fr. de Laubardemont, a Connselor of Rtate
ancl a devoted agent of the Cardinal l\fillister. After heming the se1mon, he went to pay a visit to the A 1chbishop
who a~ked "'here he had been. '"'ro hem a sen11on of the
Abbot of C<-rb.;y," he replie<l. . ''"'lie1e'?" ""At the 111cm1rnte
",.md.,' ~o lrnm1wtP 'Ymd f01 lllP," waN the qniek l'Pply
ol' ihe P1p]ate. l\11. de Lanhmdt)rnm~t, wislii11g to eX]>]'(~~s
lt j 1ll~e 1f

] li 01e p1et:i ~(_) 1y (\]} SWCJ'('(l :

clP ~ldPl.''

.. At

t hp li OllNC 0 r

~I ot he1

' ~o )lotltp1 <l<' ~latel 1'01 111e!''

'l'he Com1s<~l01
ilie11 ie;llizt)<1 1l1tt tltis wn:-; a disngl'cenblc snbjed aud
tnr11e<l the to11venmtio11 to rn10t11e1 topie.

CAJWIX~~L :\lI~ISTlf AND UOYAL

counrr

AT LYONS

293

That evening, when the Fonndre~~ begins he1 watch

hefore the Dles~ed Sac1ament, her spirit is iaised to God
by <l strong suspension, and she hears a formidable voiee
saying: Quorc frcm1lerH1lt gelltcs et pop11li mrditati snnt
iHa11 a? lY"h~' have the Hntions raged and the people meditntc(l vain things ?''1
She is stnpefied and says: '"Dear Lord, who bas aronsed
Yom just ange1?'' 'rt is he," replies the Rovereign l\faster, ""who oppo~es ~fy Order. No longer hold lrnck ~Iy mm
by your pl'ayers. No longel' pray to l\ie to keep Gmdinal
Hiehelien on earth. It is l\Jy 'dll tlrnt he shall die to
lowe1 the world's hills in the path of ~Iy etel'nity. Tt is
~Ty wm to Ineak the enl'then Yase, and to laugh at those
who 1ely on his anth01ity.''~
From m~tonishment, the good :Jfother passes to affliction .
.She cmmot resigu herself to the death of him whom the
good l\Iaster told her He had d10sen to guide France, as
fmmerly He hntl d10seu ?lfo~es to guide the people of Ts1ael.
.J esns looked with tendel'ness on this afflidion caused by
the uoble sentiments which He had inspired in the heart
of His sponse. He seemed to wish, at the same time to
assuage and to foster, her pain. ""l eau no longer bear
his making thee :-mffer. rrhon al't afflieted at what is
for thy advautnge." ""Dem Love,'' she replies. 'I am not
afflided at Your will in removing the obstacle which retal'ds Yonr glory in this Order. But a particnlar good
does not appeal to me as much as a good which is general.
Pardon me, dear Love, but it seems to me that France wilJ
lose nrnch and that Yonr Clrnrch will not gain. This Cardinal contributes to the glory of both. But, dear Lo1d,
how have I dnred to ieply to Yon, I who am but dust
and ashes ! Not my will be doue, but Y ours, which You
8how me with so much Rweetness." "My danghter," said
the :Jfaste1 of life, <leeicledly, ""that has been decreed in
01der to crnsh the individnah; who have plotted to hindel'
the establishment of l\Iy Order. His Eminence h as been here
1Ps. II, 1.
!!Autographie Life. ch. XCII.

294

LW I~

01~,

.JEANNE CIIEZATID DE 1\IATEL

incognito to 8ec thee. lt wm; hc who l'.allecl himself the

eonfes~m of Cardinal Hichel ieu.m
'rhiR wns the secret of the change which lia corne over
the mirnl of the "l\fin~ter with regard to l\Iother_ de Ma tel.
'Yhen the cxecution of tlle conspirators had closed his labors
in the emuts, he hacl leisure to converse with his brother.
The latter tolcl him of the stratagem which he had employed
to assme himself of the anthenticity of her writings, and
showecl liim those which had bcen seized and the others
which had been composecl by ll is orders. The interest and
cnriosity of the ~liniste1 we1e aroused. He wished to
converse with the p1ivileged person who contemplated in a
light so pure, myst e1ies so profound. In order not to oppose the pol iey of his brother by a solemn visit, he resolved
to present himself incognito.
:Mother de l\fatel n ever sought to make a display of spfrit nnlity. Hsnally she tnrned fe conversation on things of
God, but this wns only becanse H e alone filled her whole
heart nnd from the f nlhwss of the heart the moutlt speaketh. Sometimes ber eo11versatio11 even soared to such sublimity, thnt it wns easy to see she knew the things she spoke
of on ly from divine revelation, and then the l ight which
innndnted ber wns so strong thnt it was lllJ)()SSible to prevent it from visibly beaming fo1th. But when the YVord,
that volunuy ~I inor, as she ofteu called Him, hid His
splendo1s frorn her, she contentedly wrapped herself np in
the veil of l1e1 hnmility, and ingem10nsly confesscd that she
hnd no lights on matters coneerniug which she was quest ione(l. 'rhe sonl of the ven erahl e l\Iother ha<l a moment of
snd1 p1ivati01 1, whe11 it waN mrnom1ced thn t the con-fessor
of the Ca1<l i11nl -:\1 i11iN1-e1 aNked to speak to he1 in the pal'lor.
'rlie p1eh1HlP<l <0 11fes~01 W<\11 t sfraight to the point.
J1"1orn tlie vp1y h<\gi1mi11g h<' tmm<l the c011vt1Nntio11 to the
1110:-d <lPI<'liP Nllh.ke1N 011 whid1 thP Fo1111<h<N:-.; ha<l evrr
NpokP11 m w1ii i<11. 811<' WlN htppy lt fit1<li11g he1Nelf' powerlrn~ N to PX}>l'<'NN ]ipn~PI r Oil i IH'NP th ingN, and gave Nemcely lllY
a nswe1s to t Jie q11estio11N oJ th N Abb whose exadingness
11\ut o g raphi c LiCe , c h . XCU .

CAfWINAL ~1I~IS1'ER ..:\KD IWYAL COURT AT LYO~S

295

Rhe conside1ec1 very indi~cl'eet , and slte t:onld only eonfes:...;

her ignorance.
Richelieu had not fonrnl out what he bad corne io seek
alld, tlierefo1e, wcnt away clissatisfiecl. nut he was not tlisconragecl. rrhe Arehhishop, after this deception by bis
brother, ordered Mothe1 de 3Iatel, withont gi vi ng her his
reasons for the command, to give him in writing wbnt sbe
knew on the mattel's of which she had appeared to be ignorant, and on which he himself had conferred with hel'.
At that timc, October, Hi4~, the Cardinal of Lyons hacl
in his posses~don the writing whieb he had ordered on l >ecem ber 1, lGJl. HoweYel', there is fonnd among ~fother de
Matel's nrnnuscripts a tl'eatise bearing the fo1lowing note:

TVrittcn by the ordrr of tlzr Arr-hbislrnp of Lyon8, Octorr.

16.42. It bears the title: Trials by u;lzich the Divinr
Spouse makcs known to Hcavcn and ea rth the fidclity of His
spouscs. and the dcli,qllfs of tlrnir sucrcd marriage wldch is
admirable in the 1mrity and 111ar11clous in the fccundit y
1chich it produccs in His virginal spouses. rn1is is the document wbich was h~1nded to the Cal'din al )Iinister.
T1he Fonnch'ess hnd comnnmicn ted to Fa tber Gibalin nnd
to the Chancello1 "~lrnt she hacl been tnnght, hy ber divine
Oracle, concern1g the decree agninst Richeli eu , and sbe bacl
SpOkCll to fpm alSO Of his YSt to ber. rrbe COnfmation Of
her words wns pI'ompt. 'l"he ~Iinister, after his retnrn to
Paris, spoke to hi~ famiUar friends of the displeasnre caused
him by l\Iother de l\fatel, saying to tbem that sbe hacl feigned
ig11orance of things in which she had been insfrn cted, as he
now knew from proofs which he held in his bands . .. rrhis
aroused terror at the Chancery. 'l"he Abbot of crisy reported the situation in a letter to the Fonndress. On November 17, lG-1~. she replies to him in tel'lns in whi ch it is
hard to decicle whetber her logic or her lrnmility is the more
interesting. \r e extl'act from it the follmying passages:
"After hnving prayed to the Inspirer of holy thougbts, I
heard: Ego co.r;ito cogitationes pacis uon afflictioni8. Xolitc
timere. pusillus gre:r) quia complacuit patri ve8tro dare vobis
re.r;n wn. 8 i De" s pro no bis q nis co ntra 110s. "'I think
tlioughts of peace and not of affliction. Fear not, little

296

L1 FI~ OF

,fE _\~NE

Cf-ZAilD DE ::\IATEL

tlock, because it has pleased your Father to give yon the

Kingflom. If God is fm ns, who is against nR ?'' 1 "YY'th the
Apostle, let us say that we wish to love Him, in sweetness
in the Holy Spfrit, in ~inee1e elrnrity, and in the wol'd of
ti-nth. ff the reasons whid1 I allege are not valid, let them
be rejede<l.~ 1t seem~ to me tlrnt they me self-evident. Ras
she, who knows nothing about the 'Yord, lied by saying she
did not kno\\'" at the time when she was qnestioned and when
tltere \YHS no door opened for her to speak '? rrhe DiYine
~I a~ter ~mi d of the Precnrsor of the 'V ord : -n.,.hom went
ye ont to see '? A Prophet? Yea, I tell you, and more than
n P r ophet.' And Zachary said: 'And thon, 0 ehild, slrnlt
be called the Prophet of the Most High.' Did the Precursor
tell a lie 'vhen he replied that he \Yas not a P1ophet? As
the "rord did not then instruct me, had I an~,. J)()Wer to reply
to a man who~.e name was unknown to me and who did not
inform me of the authority which he thought he had to
qncstion me'?
""0nly a ~dHnt whilc brfore~ His Eminence, my Prelate, had
not ap1woved of my imprudent simplicity in answering t\vo
Abbs whom I had never efore seen, but whose narnes were
Jrnown to me, and also in arn~wering a Gapuchin Father
whom I had known for four years. 'rl1is fault shonld have
rendered me prudent, humanly speaking, towmds a man
who asked rne thin~~s which I should not have told him the
firf't moment I saw him, even if the light on them h.ad been
actnally ie-p1odneed by H im who had commmlieated them
in prnyer and dictnted them when I wrote. He esteems the
\\Titings. He has good reason for this, because they are not
from men, bnt from Him who is the l\lan-God. He is a volnnt:n,,. ~f inor and n free 01acle. It did not please Him to
m1sw<>1 the King who qnestioncd Him orit of cnrio~ity." 2
~Io!lie1 de ::\Intel lind goo<l 1eason not to he fronhlctl. As
the IJHmuatc ".,.01d had said to her, the powe1 of him who
('0111<1 lntrm her, was lleming its e1Hl, and that ilH..'.i<lent wa~
110t- to hHve m1y eonSCflllCIH'C~. A~ fo~e who we1e nenrest
1J e r e rn XJ X. 11 ; Luk e XIT . 32 . Jh rn . Vlll. 31.
:! Le tt e r <late d N o v, 17, 16 42, frorn Motlwr d e Mn tel
o f C ri sy.

to the .A bbot

C.AHDlX.AL ~lINISTEH A~D HOL-U .. COUUT ~~T LYO~S

297

to Richelieu coulcl not belieYe that his end was nigh, and
as in the miclst of his suffe1ings his intellect remained penetrating' and w-ell-balanced, the friends of the Foundress
"-.-ished her to make an a ttempt to regain his favor. But
she repliecl that she did not need it.
On the vigil of the fenst of St. Andrew, November :rn,
1 G42, Our Lord informs her that the condition of the Ca1dinal is grmving wo1~e. ""From that day till December -! ,
when he died,'' she says, r begged and besought You to
comfort his soul. Yon clicl not reject my praye1s. I again
sup1>licate You for this, my Divine Love. m
In fact, Riehelieu received the last sacraments on De
cember 2, and expired on December 4, impassible and colrl
in the face of death, as he had been in the presence of all
the clifficulties of Jife.
\Yhen the venerahle :\Iother receivecl the news of his
decease, her hemt, which overflowed with the chal'ity of
the ~aints, was filled with inexpressible compassion for her
Archbishop, Cardinal Alphonse Richelieu, brother of the
eeeased, as she avows in a letter dated December 9, to the
Abbot of Crisy.

About that time ~fother de ~Iatel recefred from Pal's

mo~t pressing soli ci ta tions to intercede, before God, for
the Chancellor'~ eontinuation in his office. Her grateful
soul needed no urging to plead this cause. Her correspondence of that epod1 shows her deep interest in it. Our Lo1d,
<1o'l1btl ess, seeing that it 'vas salutary for those for whom she
prayed, to suffer for a time the apprehensions to " -.- hich they
were a prey, did not ~ay to her, in an explicit mrinner, that
He ha<l grantecl her request. But He directly gave her to
um1erstand it, by the tenderness whiC'h He manifested toY.-mds herself.
On .Jan ua ry 5. 1 GJ:~, she wrote to the Ab bot of Crisy :
,Yere it not for all the talk about ehanges of offices, your
mother woulcl have a paradise on earth, for the Incarnate
'Yord overwhelms he1 with delights which are inexpressible. But she eannot enjoy them fully , while she has so
1A u tographi c Life, c h . XCII.

2DS

L H'E OF' J E.\XXI<J CHEZ ..AIW DE l\L\'l'EL

nrnch eom1)assion fo r those whom men threaten to divide,

and "hose kingdom they wonld desolate withont any fanlt
of theil-s. I haYe redonbled my praye1s for my fnther and
my rno ther. and sweetness increases and OYe1whelms me.
'l"'o calm my fears, the newlJOrn Tnfant entertains me with
Hi~ most <lelate attention.
"\Yhat I try to tell Him alJOnt the discomfo1t of those
1 loYe, He doe~ not 01 at least seems not to heed. He docs
not want tems or fnsts in this season of nuptial joys. ~rears
are not changed into balsam and orange-blossom water, by
Him \Yho came to change water of affliction into wine of
consolation. He say~ that He is the King of Love, anointed
with the oil of joy. I tell Him: '"Bnt Yon are the little
Pontiff going np to the sanctum.r by Yonr blood. for the
crf is now'" the altar on \Yhich there is a bloody victim,
sin Yon have the wound from Yom Circumcision.'' He
is mpte, but to His love1 prostrate nt His feet, He says:
"l nm Aaron and thon a1t the friuge of ::\fy Yestment, to
which there descend~ and tiow~ the sacred nnction from
the Head that :My Fathe1 has c ou~ecrated."
In default of positive assmance, th smiles and teudernesses by whi ch the divine Infant responded to the snpplica tions of the good ::\Iother, seemed to prove that He wf.;
pleased with them. On .Tannary 18, feast of the Chair of
8t. Peter at Rome. she received another sign which was as
delightfnl as it was extraordinnry. At first, Onr L01 gaye
he1 :-;ueh keen pai n fro m the sig:ht of her miseries and sins,
ilwi it seerned it wonld ea n~e her death. He theu gave her
II is pmdon f01 t hern , with so mnch ]oye, thnt, aR she relates,
" he1 soul wnN as 11em being sepmated from hel' body by
ilte CX('CNN of j oy a8 i t luul heen 'from excess of Na duess.' '
.A t ihnt 1110H1eut ~lie felt a strong inspfration to heg that
the ~<_al:-; ~hcrnl<l hP n }tai11e<l hy the Chau(:el101. She ap petl<}<l i o Hi. Pde1. who:-;e 11arne hc ho1e mHl to Rt. ~f khael,
th e p1otPc101 of Ft:rneP, iliat they mi;ht support he1 ieqnest.
' iillPll :-;]1e ]"(}l'P\'e<l (Ill :tl-'l-'ll1'lllC.:P ihnt the lIH'll'llHte \Vord
l1a<l t akcH the :1lfai1 n u<h}1 Hi::-; protection.
1

1G43.

L etl l~ 1 o f l\Tnt!J e r

11 l\la t el to tl1c .\ lilwt of C ri sy da t ell Jan . 5.

CARDIX~-lL ~IIXIS1'Eil .c\.ND ROLU.1 COU RT AT L Y OXS

299

The fayor so giaciously granted wa s l on g preseiyecl. At

his death, in 1G7:2, Peter Sguie1 was still Keeper of the
Seals. Feeling that h e w a s coming to t he en d of h is cmeer.
he sent them to t h e King, with his tha nks, for the long
confidence with "\Yhich he hacl been ho n orecl. Louis XIY,
with the kingly c0111tesy with whith it " '"as h is wont to
recognize di stinguished seYvices r ender ecl to t h e State. sent
them back and said that a s long as t he Chan cell or was al ive.
no one else should keep the Seals:
At the time of the aboT"e describecl di\ ine fayors, 3Iother
de ) fatel felt nbuecl "\Yith a h eayenl.''" per f nme. w h ose miracul ou s emanations filled h er ioom an d eYen e\'"ery pl ace
to which she happen ed t o go. This was n ot t h e first time
her daughters IJercefred such a "\Y01Hle1. bu t on that day
the sweetness " '" as so a bnndan t and delightfn l t h a t the Sisters and tlie bomde1s at first timiflly one b,\ on e. and afterwards all together. Yied "\Yith each oth er i n S<Woring that
won derful perfume with which h er soul " '" as f'at uratecl.
'Yhile 3Iother de 3Iatel was pleading befo 1e Gocl the case
of the Chancellor, the latter was taking to hemt the establishment of the monastery of Paiis. From the 111-st stepf'
taken by the Founchess, dming her sojourn in the capital.
' one opposition or delay hacl sn cceecled an oth er and no one
eould yet see when these wonld ern]. E Yen t h e i nflu en ce of
the Chancellor and the zeal of th e A bbat of C1is,\ met
rnany special obstacles. \Ye find tra ces of th ese in the letters adch e ~sed t o thern by the p ions :Jfot her at thnt time.
She is a censtomecl to a do1ing. in un tmymd eYents, the hand
of he1 niYine Sponse, which is -e1tai n ly sweet and loYing,
but she seems to be tlisfressed at t he p ain exp.e1ienced by
those " ho are showing prn cti cal in te1est in h er affairs.
On J anuary 2:1, 16-!:i , she writ es t o t h e Ab bot of Crisy:
" For my_ pmt these r efu sals a1e io s e ~ . But I feel them
like thorns when I think of lll.''" fa t her and my mother, as
for my son, he must receiYe his snffe1ings like St ..Joseph.
The Inca1nate \Yonl gives t o the la t t er H is Kingdom as
to His .Father~ by snfferings whieh will chan ge into joy
after crosses which will always be small t o g r ea t loYe. The
Incarnate "~ord \Yill fmally fnlfill e\e1ythin g. T h e time of

300

LIFE OP .JEANNE CHEZAilD DE l\IA'l'EL

waiting ~eems short to me, but long to yon. Yonr zeal urge:-;
me on, and my O\Yll apathy holch~ me back." Ou .J auuary 2D,
or ~ix days la ter, shc wrote: .. no uot, on my accouut,
feel disfressed at these refn~als whieh are permitted by
Go. That news does uot t1onble me. If l did uot adore
His will in all eyents, l would be distressed at the pain
caused to my father and my mother, by these refnsals. They
are most mortifyiug to me. I would like to suffer mnch
myself and see them spared these refnsals. But I am consoled by th e certainty that the Incarnate W'" ord will abundau t~ Jy 1 ecompense them in His own good time. He is the
on ly faithful and trne one, the King of kings and Lord
of lords. He is all powerfnl to do in Heaven and on earth
all that He ~ees good for the welfare of His elect and
for His owu greater glory.m
Althongh the effmts of the powerfnl friends of the
Fonndress were not crowned with success, in the ereetion
of the monm.;tery of Paris, as promptl;v as they would lu1Ye
desfrerl, they soon had an opportunity to giYe a practica l
proof of their deYoteduess to the work of the 1ncarnatc
wrord. T'he moment had arri\Ted when the God of lmTe
wished to eurich a greater number of souls with the treasures of the graces de~tined for His daughters. To make
~Iother de l\fatel nnderstnnd the ardor of this desire, He
several times showed Himself to her, burning \\Tith the tire
of His divjne charity.
On Janmuy 14, she wl'ites: "'l saw Yom Holy Body,
that Racred 'I'emple, lmrning in such a way that I pereeiYed nothing in Yom breast and sides. David, speakiug
fm Yon, slid: /' a('f11111 c8f cor 111r' 11111. tu111qna111 erra
liqucscens 'il wedio vrntris mci. ilruit ta1u111a111 toda
rirt11.~ 111ca. --~fy heart, in the rnidst of my howel~, i~ b 2eome
like mcltcd wax. :\fy Rtrength iR dried up like day cooked
i11 t-lie fnrrnwe."
( Ps. XXI, Hi, ' Hi.) ~he c1ie:-; out: '''Ylrnt.
'l em Lo1d, Yon Ji,c in the shado\\T of death, fo1 l see in
Yo11 ouly darkncs~, arnl Yon am)ear to me likc a lnnued
1Tm1k. 1 won l <l h<) l ievc th a t I am d1ca mi ng, and th a t I
sec not the l11<'m1wtc 'Yonl, the W'"ml of life, if I did not
1

1Le tt c r s of .Jan11:1ry 2 ~ :llH 2 !"l

tn

tlH' .. \hhot of Crisy.

CAHDIX~U., )JI:\1"ISTEn AXD noYAL COilflT AT LYOXS

301

kno"T to what, loYe and sin have redueed You. 0 God of

LoYe, 'Why do You leave a heart in my breast, since Yonr
own heart i~ (onsumed with lmTe? Ts it that You are de1niyed of a heart, because Yon wi~h mine, 'Yhid1 is Yoms,
should be placed therein '? Then do thi~, dear Love." ~[y
daughter," He replies, 'zeal for the glory of the diYinity
and for the salvation of souls has thus deyoured the interior
of ~Iy body. m
Eight hours later, He showed her His side with an opening resembling a breach made by fire and projectiles from
a cannon. After this Yision she ''Tote to the Abbot of
Crisy: 'If it were possible, I would like to express the
zeal which deYoured the entrails of the Incarnate \Yord and
inftamed a conflagration in that furnace of lffYe.'' EYidently
the hreach wns opened and there wa~ nothing left to do
but to accept the conditions of the adorable Conqueror, and
to be an instrument of His merciful conquest~. In fact.
all was ready for the fmrndation of the second monastery,
that of Grenoble.
L\utographic Life, ch . XCII.

CHAP'rEH XVII
The Monastery of Grenoble-Period of Obstacles

1643
)f other de l\1atel was nrged b.r Fa th ers Gibalin and

Arnoux, by her friends in Grenoble, and especially by zeal

fo1 her Divine Spouse, to labor for this foundation. And
yet she felt inexpressible repugnance for the task. A painful iwesentiment aggravated this state of her soul. As
Rhe wrote: ''On the day of the Purification of your Blessed
)lother, I was favored by Your bounty and I said to Y ou:
lnvc1l ' quc11i diUgit anima mca) tenui ezun nec d'imittam
do1rnc introducat illum fa domum 11wtrfa 11icac. 1 "I have
found Him whom my soul loveth, I hold Him and I will not
let Him go till I introduce Him into the house of my mother." After Your blessed l\1other and mine lias brought
You back, could I let Yon go without accompanying Yon
eve1ywhe1e, even though it be into Egypt, and wait with her
to be recallecl into the land of Israel"?
''On
ednesday after the feast of the Purification, Yon
reduced me to a state of unspeakable weariness. I smv
my spirit in diffe1ent states at almost every moment. One
moment, I was myself in lim bo in the shadow of death,
desiring my redemption. Afterwards, I seemed to desend
lower into a palpable darkness in which I was tempted
to despair of my salvation. I saw myself withont an Order,
withont any support, meriting all these sufferings. :My sins
we1e anayed against me, and all <-'leatures ha9. a right to
a venge th ei r Grea tor offen ded by my crimes, more th an I
eau express.
"At another rnoment, I experienced a pnrgatory from
the pains whieh I lrnew to be just, so I conld not complain
of ihe Divine .Jmdi, and, although I dcsired the cessation
of the~e pairns, J did not wish to l>c delive1ed from them
mitil j1mtiee was ~atisfied nceol'_ding to its good pleasure,

"r

1Cant. III, 4.
3 02

'l'HE :\IOXASTEilY OF GilE:NOBLE-PERIOD OF OBS'l'ACLES

303

to which I conformed muid my complaints against myself

and my cowardices and my other failings. At another moment, Yon plaeed my spirit mnid delights, bnt this felicity
lasted such a short time, that I rejoieed in it only in passing, and I was soon again reduced to a state of 'Yeaiiness.'' 1
YVhat could have been the source of these torments '!
'rhey could not have been the effect of that kind of fem
whieh is often inlSpfrecl, even in the most courageous souls,
Ly the perspectiYe of a work which is great and difficult to
accomplish. Snch a sentiment could have been only involuntal'y and transient in l\Iother de l\Iatel. Her own impotenee was too well known to her for her to take fright
from it. She placed her reliance, not on herself, but on
Him in "'hose strength her weakness became all pmYerful.
Uoreover she had no such feeling when she was about to
. found the monaster.v of Avignon. And tha t undertaking
hacl been far more imJ)Ol'tant. since, on it, had depended
the very bii-th of the Order. Al as! the cause of the venerable
~lother's inter ior suffering, whieh was then inclefinable, is
known to us now from the events which followed the founding of that monastery. From it was to l'Orne forth the instrument of the unspeakable sorrows in whieh the saintly
~Iother was to consnmmate her final saerifice.
God theu
gave her a foretaste of the bitternesses with "'hich one
day her soul was to be satura tecl.
On February 12, the Countess de Bevel, accompanied
by )f. de Bouffin, her brother, the Prior of Croixil, and also
Ly the Pl'i01 of St. Hobert, arrived at Lyons with a letter
from the J esnit, Father Arnoux, commanding the Countess
to bring l\Iother de Matel, at all costs, to Grenoble to foull(l
a monastel'y there. The Countess de Revel was the wife
of the Attorney General to whom the Foundress had lately
rendered an impo1tant service by obtaining from the Chaneellor the affirmation of certain rights of his which lwd
been con teste cl.
l\lother de )latel had written to the AlJbot of Cris~1 ,
.J anuary 5, 1G4:3: I \note to you on J anumy 1 of thi~
1Antographic Life. ch. XCIII.

304

LIFE

01~

JE.\.NNE Cl-IEZAUD DE -;_\L\.'l'EL

year, through 1\1. de Hevel, in whose case there was an attempt to ietrench and supprei-:s what he and his predecessms
have held by right for several years. 'Yhat I said to yon
in the letter which he took to you and which I gave to him
nnsealed, is my sincere feeling and belief. He and his
wife love and adore God in spirit and in truth. They
al'e of the number of the good whom others wish to op
press. ~rhey are true propagators of the faith. l\Ioreover,
they have a special louging to establish the glory of the
Incarnate W'" ord everywhere. 'l"'heir great desi_1e is to 1wocme the foundation of a com~ent of His Order at Grenoble.
'rhese are reasons more than sufficient to persuade a good
child to protect the rights of the household of the fa ith.
'I1hey have learned that the Chancellor and my child have
corne to see me, and that my prayers for them will not be
nseless. I have thought fit not to send them away wif011t
a letter whieh will not obligate you to do anything that
emmot be done according to God, but which begs yon to
do what you can according to God, ont of love for Him
and His Blessed jfother, "Thom they serve with signal 7.eal.
'l'his serdce was a stimulus to the desire whicli hatl
long been manifested by those noble spouses to see est-ah
lished in their city a con vent of the Incarnate \Y 0td.
Madame de Revel was most active in ineparing the w~y
for the fmrn dation. She ga ined over to the en n~e. a nu mber of inflnential personages in that city, amo11g otlwrs
th e President de Chaulnes. Rhe hoped to obtain throngh
him the co n ~ ent of the Bishop, jf011~ignor Peter Scnnou,
who had at first shown scant fanw to the pl:in.
'rhr011gh Father Gibalin, the Conntess 1nocmed some
"Titi 11g~ of the Fonndress, which the President trm1~rnitted
to th 2 Bi~hop who was tolrl that the anthmess was spcti'llly
helon~d by the Qnee11 rt]l(l i he Chm1ccl101.
'rhe P1elate,
(l l't Pl' l 'C;Hl i 11g the lllallllR<'l pt~, PX]>l'Cl"Sed Hll enTnefd- deRi l'C
to :-1<'P ~lothcr de l\fatel ~rnd 1nomised heal'tily to ne<'cpt
the estahli:-1hme11t. Snth was the cornlition of nffai1s wltc11
Fntlte1 .. \1nonx jn<lged it heNt to go withont .delay aml
b1i ng the FomHhe8~ to Gle110ble.

'l'HE )l::'\ASTERY OF GHE::\'OBLE-PEUIOD OF OBST~"-CLES

~rhe

305

immecliate execntion of this project appeared to

)fother de )!atel to he full of difficulties. 'Yhat wonld
the Cardinal of T.iyons, then at l\farseille:-;, sny when he
heard thnt she had gone out of the dioeese \Yithout his
anthorization ? w'l10 would finance the foundation of the
new monastery? and above all, giYen the steps tnken by
the Chancellor for the erection of a ne\Y conYent in the
capital, she wonld scnrcely have arrived at Grenoble, \vben
the foundation of Paris wonld reclaim ber. It seemed to
ber better to work for this first, and afterwards for that
of Grenoble. Fatber Gibalin, whose heart was set on getting her a way from the inflexible authority un der which
her yeal's of Yigo1 were passing in interminable waiting,
was of the opinion that she should depart cost what it
might. He said to her: '"I take it on my:-;elf to see that
the fonndation of Paris \dll be delayed until that of
Grenoble is completed, and to see tlwt yonr excuse~ will
be acceptable to His Eminence, after his return from )farseilles.m
The good )!other cunld not resist tho~e pleadings. She
had had the vision of a furnace into which others now constraiqed ber to enter. rrhe cold was severe. In spite of
all, on February 15, ~he depmted for Grenoble, with the
Priors and Madame de Revel. 'Yom zeal," she says to
them, ''obliges me to pnss oyer all difficulties, since I see
that the storm and bail and extreme colcl throngh whith
yon have corne, have not ben able to freeze ~~our charity.
Then let us say \Yth St. 'I1homas fat we wish to go and
die for the Incarnate 'Yonl. " 2
On the following day, Felnnnry H>, at three o'dock, the
travelers arriYed at the home of the P1ior of St. Robert
who, by the best of treatment, strove to show his Yeneration for ~fother de )fatel. Towards eight o'clock, at night,
they made their entry into Grenoble. The Conntess de
Hoehefol't.. the wife of the President de Chenii're,. )Jadame
de Simiane, and other personages of di~tiuction, came to
meet the pions Mother, in spite of the late hour and the
s

i.Autographic Life. ch. XCIII.

2Ibidem.

306

LIFE 011' JE.\NNE CHEZ.AUD DE

~L\TEL

inclement weather. The wife of the ambassador to 'rurin,

~laclame de ~e1vient, and also Mesdames de Lionne and
de Yieilleux nmediately went to present theil' bornages
and promises of senrice. l\fr. and l\fadame de Chaulmes
oifered the hos1Jitality of their home. both to the goo<l
mother and to the venerable Sister Elizabeth Grasseteau,
the compa11ion of her journey. All thought it best that the
two Rhould remain incognito for some days, as they saw
the beginningR of a storm aiound the foundation.
\Yhen ~Ionsignor Scarron learned of the anival of the
Poundiess, he sent wol'Cl that the President de Chaulnes
or his "Tife Rhould concluct her to hirn without delay.
He manifeRted an interest which was truly paternal. He
Raid to ber: ''I will he your confesR01 and will give
you Communion rnyself evel'y day. I lemn that the Queen
favors you with he1 love and that the Chm1cellor hono1s you
with his special friendship. I esteem him highly and out
of consideration for him and for my good Mistre~s, the
Queen, l have a special desil'e to establish the 01der of
the Incarnate 'Yord.m
'rl1e foundation tlrns 'Yelcomed by the Bishop, was recei\recl with no less favo1 by the municipal authorities and
seemed destined to be consummated withont opvosition.
But this was not to be. Grenoble had a convent of Frsnline~
who we1e mn('h almmed by the anival of the ne'v nuns,
and these fears we1e shared by theil ielntiYeR nnd friernls.
~\mong the nnmbc1, there "e1 seye11.l magfati-ates who 1esol n :i d to indnte the Pmliament to iefn~e the nutlloriza i ion fm the el'ettion of this m01wste1y. Hho)'tly afte1 hcr
anival , )lotltel' de ~Iatel w1ote: The city has imitated
i h.; Pasto1 and ha~ shown its olJedie11ce to the etenwl w ord ,
1l'.arnaied io clivillise tl eRh lJy His good Hlld divine will.
In F' 0 bru;11 y 25, Moih e r d e Mat.el wrot e 1.o th e . r\hl>ot of Crisy:
" I l m eo11st ;rntly o vc 1\vh0Jm e d b y th e goodn e ~i:; e s of lV!onsig-nor of
\1r Pnoh1 e.
lJ \e 1 y m o l'l1ing h<' se n<ls his e a1-riage :111<1 a page 1.o tnke
1n e to his pnl<t<' C', wh e r e h e h e ars 1ny c onf e ssion a.n<l giv e s me -Communion e \e ry <l a y . Il e sa y s l\fass <lnily, n.ltlloug!J he is Yt'I'Y infirm.
lt look s <1 s if 1.l1 e r e is nothin g on e nrth so <l c ar to him ~s Y<H11 Mother.
1 J1;iv e l e <tl'n e <I tliat the Qu ee n e st ee ms him highl~ . I hav e seen h e r
port.ra it. i11 hi s ho11 sc an<l thos c of my lor<l. 1.l1 c D<tuphin , :ind of rny
Jo]'(f qf .\11jo11 , wl1ich n1 c s;1i<l tn h a v e he e n presentccl to him y the
( lu ce 11 . <1 s tok e n s of h e r affe c t.ion ."

THE l\10:NASTERY OF GRENOBLE-PERIOD OF OBSTACLES

307

But the Parliament is not so favorable to the -nr ord as it

ongh t to be. A faction of th ose gentlenien have resolved
to 1nen~11t onr e:-;fo l>lishment if they can.m
If the vrn1k of l\Iother de l\latel had adversm~s in the
Parliament, it had there also devoted protectors. ~fr. de
Sante1eaux diew up the request and presented it to the
first Chmnber, from which he obtained an appronll. As
the second Chamber was hearing another case, the request
was passed down to the third. I t was presidecl over by
Jlr. de Saint-Andr. As the pions l\Iother says: ''He clid
not act like the great Apostle of that name, the first disciple
of the Incarnate 'Yord. He rejected the l\Iessias and said
he wished all the Chambers to assemble in a joint session
as he feared that l\lr. de Sautereaux might clominate each
ehamber separately, as he had doue in the first.m
The expedient of ~Ir. de Saint-~-'1.ndr temporarily barrecl
the conside1ation of the acceptance of the plan. ~ro oppose
it by still more serions entanglements, the adverse faction
ngreed to exact letters patent from the King. :.Mother de
~\Iatel immediately sent this information to the Abbot of
Crjsy. She wrote to him: ''I beg you to say to rny father
tha t, if the aff air is not too mu ch trouble to him, I beseech
him to send me those letters." 3 But the letters patent were
not obtained so quickly or easily as the influence of the
Chancellor had led to hope. ~ehe letters addressed at that
time by the Mother to the Chancery, give an idea of the
rnnrce of the obstacles, but she covers 'vith snch a discreet
veil both the persons and the actions that we eau only make
conjectures.
The two parties nrnde nse of these clelays to fortify their
positions in the city. One formed a league to resist to the
last extremity. According to them, the Parliament ought
to do at Grenoble 'vhat the Archbishop did at Lyons. Lettt:rs patent from the King should be exacted and indeed
shoulcl not be obeyed nnless they were mandates. The
1Lette r of l\farch 15, 1643, from l\fothe r de Matel to the Abbot of
Crisy.
~Le tter of Mother de l\Iatel to the Abbot of Crisy, l\Tarch 15 , 16-13.
3Letter datecl Feb. 18, 1643, to the Abbot of Crisy.

308

LIFE 011' .JEANNE CHEZ A ilD DE l\IATEL

otherR eagcl'ly rallied monud the Fonndress, offered her

their ~crvices m1d assnred her of the snccess of he1 nnde1taking. AU the ladi es of the city, awl as she relates: Even
those of the OJJpo~ition Yisited her and told her tha t these
contradictions won ld soon pass, that in a Nho1-t time she
wonld sec the reverse of the medal, and that a single letter
from the Chancellor wonld change her adve1saries into so
many lam bs. ''
As the good l\fother wrote:
""Y on will
scarcely be able to rend my Ietters. I have to ~match moments from my pm.;sive visits, for I make none that aie
actiYe. But I am visited almost continnously, althongh
I am snpposed to be incognito. I have to. endure the civilities of the pions persons who are nrged on by holy zeal." 1
No oue was so z.ealous as the Bishop. AU Grenoble was
amaz.ed. Ko one had ever seen anything similar. He dec hued that, with the consent given by the city, he wonld
establish the monastery, in spite of the contradictions of
those who were trying to hinder the glory of the W' ord;
and tlwt he wonld give np his mitre and even his life
rather than abandon this entennise; that l\fotbe1 de :\la tel
was his danghter and the apple of bis eye. He learned
that the lTri-;ulines were constnntly fomenting the opposition, and he sent word to their Snperioress that if she continned, he would send hei back to Lyons whence she had
corne, and that he was justly irritated tlwt she was opposing, thongh coyertly, the glory of God aIHl the works prot ected by the Bishop.
rn1e good l\fother, IJlaced between these opposing fac t i01rn, maintai11ed a peace and confidence which were nn a lterable. God made her feel that H e was for her, and
who could do her hmm? She Wrote to the .A. bbot of C ri~y :
n ear child, let nothing astonish you. W'e are protected
by the all powel'f'nl " rord of th e Fath el'. H e is the Snp1eme Pmliam e11t." 2 ~h e wonld ha\'e even wi~hed the
Bi shop of (ii'euohle not to mauifef;t hh.; di~pleasnre : "" Mon:- ; ig1101 iN gJeatly diN~a ti~1ied with tho~ c :entlem e1i. 1
"0111<1 like him 110t to ~how thi~ . B11t he f; 110t willing
1 l... 0 tt e r o f F'c hr11ar y 2fi 1 () 4:1 .
:! L c tt.c r of ft'0 hnm r y 18, 16 -13.

'l'HE ~IOXASTifY OF GfXOP.LE-PEIUOD OF OBSTACLES

300

to renudn silent and this mortifies me. I hope that, in

the end, all 'vill be favol'nble to ns. l t is the glory of the
'y ord to snrrnonnt contrndidions and to show the power
of His nrm. " 1
As the ious ~Iother obsenes, l>efore the di,Tine vowe1
wns mmiifested, the powe1s of d~l'kness were to have their
day. On :\laich 12, the Pmliament refusecl, by a strong
majority, its sanction of the request presented to it for
the establishment of the monastery. ::\lessrs. de Saint-Andr,
de Saint-Ge1main, and de la RiYire, the most mdent members of the opposition, had succeeded in ""inning entirely
over to their own sicle twenty members of the rnrlinmen t,
and in shaking the loyalty of seventeen of those ,y}10 were
f~wornble to the foundation.
The faithful friends of the
Ponndre~s nrged her to announce this iesult to the Chancery nnd to renew her efforts to obtain letteis patent from
the King and a letter from the Chancellor, infonning the
Parliament of his desire for the accomplishment of this
good work and of his approval of the zeal of those "Tho were
labming to procure it and of his disnpp1oval of the oppositions of those who were re:;dsting what they could not pl'event without 1justice, n~ the monastery 'vas not to be a
bnrden to the city. They eYen begged her to make knmvn
to the Chief Justice the wiles of those who had no considerntion for his well-k11mn1 desires and we1 e t1ying to
cause the failure of the pious undertnking. The chal'itnble
heart of the ::\lother
painecl at having to make these
reYelations. She snid to the Ab bot of Crisy: ""I do violence to myself by asking this of yon . But thirty persons
who are zealous for this establishment, urge me to sencl
you this information. Y onr mn1 prudence must be your
gnide in the affair.'' 2
Rhe "Tites again, as if to excu~e them : "Tlley know
neither the Father nor the W. orrl, and they consider that
- they are making a sacrifice ag1eeal>le to God, when they
oppose what is not accol'ding to theil' whinrn. )len abound
in their own sense. ''

'"eu"

1 L ett er

of 1\Tarch 15. 16 43.

2L e tter of l\larch 23, 1643.

310

LIFE OF .JEANNE CHEZ.A.RD DE l\fATEL

In view of the failure o his own efforts, the Chancellor

had iecourse to the mediation of the Qneen. ~rhe Bishop
of Nmes, on acconut of his own sincere veneiation for
the Found1eRs, had wh;hed to gain for her the protection
of Anne of Austria, by making known to that priucess
that eleven years before the eyeut, the Dauphin, whom she
had jnst giyen to France, lrnd beeu iwomised to the prayers of the w01thy l\Iother. He chose. as his intermediary.
one of the Queen's ladies in waiting, the l\Iarchioness de la
Flotte, who knew l\fother de Matel and eRteemecl her highly.
He wrote her a letter, in care of Father Gibalin, to be delive1ed to her by Father Crest, her confessor. Father
Gibnlin added to thjs missive a cletailed nanative of the
promises made to l\fother de Matel, on October 3, 1G27,
in favor of the feenndity of the Queeu and the victories of
the King. He had this document sigued by Father Yoisin,
who had been the first to TeceiYe the l\fother's confidence
on these points. He also signed it himself, and euclosed
au explanatory letter in which he most solemnly affirmed
the veracity of these prophetic aunouncemeuts and the
eminence of the graces which he had witnessed in Mother
de l\fatel. In this missive Father Gibalin said: ''After
1eceiviug from the Bishop of Nmes the commission to commnnicate to you this letter, in which he prays you to solidt,
from her Mnjesty, the establishment of the Order of the
Incarnate Word, I would cousider myself guilty if I did
not assure yon nnder oatb that, as director of l\fother de
Matel, I am obliged in conscience to testify that she obtailled MonRiem the nauphin hy a signal gift from
the Incarnate 'Yo1'd 'Vho promised him to her ou October
3, 1G27, on which <lay Father Yoisin heanl her confession
and gave her Communion after she returned from that
ecstaRy, whcn he c011jnrcd her to tell him what God hnd
1evea led to her~ nnd had promised to kccp it secret. She
Raid to him that the Incarnate 'Vonl had p1omiRed hel' to
vi:-;i t tl1e Qncen a11<1 to mag11i fy llis mercies upon lier as
hc ltad do11e 11pon St. Elrnbeth, mother of St. John, His
p1ecmso1, mHl tlrnt lie wonld giye hei a Danphin, hav1g

'l'HE :uoN4~STEitY AT GllENOBLID-

PEitIOD OF' OBSTA CLES

311

pi ty on her humiliations which He regarded, to make her

a Queen ~fother, and that afte1wards He would establish
His Order.
'
""Fa the1 Y oisin commmHled her to write down these
l)J'Omises and seve1al othe1s in favor of their :Majesties,
"'hich she did on the sixteenth day of the said October,
1G27. He told me this and, with his own hand, signed it
as being the fruth to which he vrns ready to sweai. He
assnred me that this lady is candor itself and the most
elevated soul now living in the Church of God. As for
mysclf, ~ladame , I ingenuonsly avow tlrnt, having direeted
her conscience foi six years and having seriously watched
all that passed in her life and prayers, I hmye admired
the lights whieh the Incarnate \Yord has given he1, and
that, after teaehing theology for eight years, I find mysel f
very far from the lights of this soul which I have found
to be as trne as they are admirable. Let us bless Him who
chooses the weak to shmY His strength. )ladame, He is
the same who p1omises to glorify before His Father and
His augels. tho~e who shall glorify Him befo1e men. This
js the hono1 desfred for you by yom most humble and
obedient smvm1 t ,
JusEPH

GmALIN)

S. J.

Lyorn.;, August 3, 1G39."

)Jadame de la Flotte chose a favorable moment to spenk
to the Queen about these communications. Anne of Ansia
desfred to see the documents. She felt the sweete~ ('Ollsolatioll in he1 soul from reading worcls full of nnctiou
and trnth, y which Our I~ord had promised ""to visit he1
and to magnify npon her His mercy, as He lwd doue npon
St. Elizabeth." She said to Madame de la Flotte: "")lothe1
de Mate] must corne and make a fouudation m Pal'is.'' 1
'rhe ~fmchione:'\s hastened to communicate to Fathe1
Gibalin this invitation. It was not possible to resporn1
' to it nt that time when the fonndation of the monastery
of Avignon wns being aecomplished.
J.Manuscript Memoir of Mother d e B ly.

312

LIFE OF

JE .\N~I~

CIIEZAlrn DE l\lA'I'EL

W'hen l\fr. Sguier went to the Queen to obtain the lettp1~ patent exncted by the Parliment, he fonnd her dispo~ed to fay01 the work of the Yenerable l\fother.
'l'hank~
to her high J>l'otection, the letters patent were granted.
1'hey are still in the nrchiYes of the prefecture of the depmtment of the Ts1e. The followiug: copy nwy he inte1e~ting to the l'eadt~r:
Lcttas p atf'nt .<Jl'<tllt(' in the month of Jlarcll, 161,8, yiviny the pern1is8io11 to the Reliyious of the Jucar1wtc 1rord_
,
to cstalish tl1c111sclvrs ot Grenol>lc. 'Phe said lcttcrs patent
oil porch111e11t, side JY
. o. 1.
Louis, by the gracc of Oo<l, Ki,nr; of Pronce aud Xavul'l'e,
prescnt and to co111e, grecti11g. Among all the favors
'W ith lchich it lws plcascd God to less our reign. we ha oc
11ot ha<l any 11wrc signal or yrcat than the meaus 1chich He
lws gicen us to rccstablish in Olfr Realm tlie practicc uf the
truc reli!Jioll und to contriutc, y our lare oud by our
carc, to llare it honored in all the lallds 1tndcr our o7JediCllCC.
Por thcsc rcasOllS) dc8'rllfj on all OCCOSOllS tu COllfJl llC such a lwlu and JJious dcsiyn and t.o fawr by all 111rnns
in om potCcr tlwsc wlw consecratc tlwir lifc to flic scrvicr>
and pruisc of the Divine Jlujcsty. Wc lwld most agrc<'able
the s11pplicof ;'011 whirh llits bcrn made to us by Jfotlter
.Jcan11c Cll.:rnnl de Jfatd. Pou11drcss of the Reliyious of
flic Onler of the IncaJ'llatc 1l7ord, uwlcr the rule of 8t.
Auyusliu, tlwt it 11w.1; plcasr us to pcn11it lier to lrnil<l.
fu1111d... ((nd ('8f<lblish a <'OllN'Jlf of tllc said Ord<r i n our
cit!J or fauoury of Orc11olc. And 'lCC have e'cu all tllc
111orc 1cillingly iucli11c<l to yn111t ll<T rcqucst as zce horf'
sc,v cral advautagcou8 tcsti11wnials of ll<'r virt11c. J><'t!J. and
yoo<l life, for thr c<lifi<atio11 on<l utility of tlte public. _P or
tll<'s<' J'f'<T80ll8, wc 111ake k11own, tlwt, witll tllc adu.i of
oJtr (1fnu1cil <t11d lJ/} our NJU'<ial gra<c, full JWlr<T, au<l myal
<t1tlhoril,11. -1rc h<tV<' JW0111i.4'e<l, oeronl<'<l. 011<7 ym11tc<l, and
}JJ'o111is<', a<<or<l, 011<1 yn111t, l>y tllese })1'<'8<'11f8 siyned J
01tr lu111<l, to Ille said J!other .Jcaune Cllbanl de J_l latcl. 011<7
fo Ill<' "uid Ndiyious of tlw sai<l Or<frr uf the lnuarnatc,
\\'onl 1uulcr Ille ntlc of St. A lt!JHSlin ) tu cn' cf. 7rnil<l, and

to all

THE ~I O XASTEilY A'l' GUEXOBLE -

PEilIOD OF on~TAC'LES

313

fou1ld, zrith the consent and the lctters of permission of

Petrr IY Scarron, Bishop of GreJZoble) a con vent of the!
suid Orclcr ill th e said place zrliicll sllall be ocquired by
the/JI in our city or faubourg of Grenoble, th erc to dcrnff'
tllemscl1:rs to th e Sff vicr of God,. in conforJJlity zcitlz tll cir
Institutc. Rulcs. and Constitutions. zcllich site and place
1cc hore y our gra cc- and autlw~ity th e sorn e as abov c.
amortlzed and do amortize as property dedicat ed to God
zcitlwut their bcing ll eld by reason of tlie said arn o rti~ation
to furnisll for this to us or to our royal successors any
financ e or indcrnnity of ZC'hich 'lC C lwce mode and do make
them a gift. lwzccr er zcitlwut prejudicing pri ua t c indi vid1wl8
to zchom th e 8aid places may bclong by depcndence. 1Fe
,r;"rc 111 andatr undcr our orms and seals to th e Councilors
and th e people lwlding our court of Parliamrnt. to the people of our accounts,. presidents and general treasurers of
Fmnce. at Grcn0ble,. tlwt tll ey rcgistcr tll esc prcscJZt lettcrs
of permission and tlwir contents. and suffcr and }J("rmit to
enjo y und 11sr tl1 cm tll r said Jlotlzer J eann r Clz ~anl de
Jlat cl and tlz c said Rcligiou8 of th e said Oider of th e
Incarnat e 1f'ord. roiding and causing to be 1. oided all contrary troubles an d ilnzJrdime,nts. 1l'e lwr e caused our seal
to be pla ced on t71 ese said prcseJZts, sar ing in otll er things
our ozcn ri.r;ld and tlwt of otlz ers.
Givcn at 8aint-Germoin-cn-Layc, in th e rnontlz of JiarclL
of tlzr ycar of gracc. on e tlwusand 8i.r luuulred forty-tllrce.
and of OllJ' reign th e thirty-tllird.
'LO U IS.''
rnfortunntely these letters nrriYed nt Grenoble . nt the
beginning of Huly \Yeek w hen the sessions of the Pmlinment hnd been prorogned until Enster. HoweYer the Prncnrator Genernl presented them to the nssembly, but there
wns no time to conclnde the nifail'. Their ratification
and iegistrntion hnd to be lmt off until the reopening of
the Palace.
:Xeither consolations nor trials we1e lnddng to )lother
(1e )fatel during these parlinmentnry Yacntions. As she
''Tote to the Abbot of Crisy, on April Hl : 'SeYern1 uf

LIFI~

0F .JEkNNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

thoRc who we1e agninRt the Incarnate 'Yord in the time

of tho Pas~don , wc1e eo11ve1ted at EaRter, arnong others ~fr.
'1<~ Raint-Oe1111ai11." 1
Offitinl lPtterR seIIt hy the d1aucery
to severa] rnemhen~ of the Pml im11e11t, had powcrfnlly contributed to these conve1sions. Ur. de Saint-Germain w ho,
accorcling to the worcls of the good Mother, ''had shown
himself the most venomo11s of the ndversmies ou the day
when the reqnest had been rejected, '':2 sent his mother-inl a w, ~Iaclame de Lessin, to visit the FonndreRs for him,
to express the extreme regret he felt for having pu hl icly
resisted he1 vions design, and to protest to her thai in
the future he wonlcl serve, her with all hiR zeal. 'The 11ext
day, he came in person to renew the expression of his repentance and to offer his services.
'I1he worthy J\f other, to gain e11tirely to the In~titnte
against which he had cleclaimed so loudly, this nrngistratc
who was influential and otherwise religions, gave him an
exceptional mark of co11fidence -: ''Yon must do li ke the
f'onverted Paul," she sa id to him, "to whom the Iucmna te
'Vord appearecl in His glory and revealed ~ecrets wh ieh He
did not tell to men.'' 3 Tnking a eopy of her life written
nt the command of the Arehbishop of Lyons~ she gm'e H
to him sayiug: "See and Irnow that God hm;; doue these
marvelR all alone and that it is He who gives testimony
of HirnRelf and that His testimony is true. Yonr prndeHce
will not tell this to m1y one. " 4 ~Ioreover, she iuformed him
that the King wonld die in a few dayR, in spite of the
JH'O]Jhec,y ascribed to a devont person iu Greuohle, t-Iun he
wonld live thirteen years m01c. 'rl1ese confidence~ '\Ye1c
hlesRed by Rim who had i11spi1ed them . :M1. de Sain l--Ge1main wns completely won over to he1 ca11se, nud remainecl
a rnost eonstantly devoted friend.

All irnpo1tant ns were this conq11est a11d othe1s which

f'ollowPd, iltey did 11ot vauqui~h the opposition pnl'ty, whid1,
d111i11g ih e i1nce rnomentarily irn1>osed on the parliamcntm.r
sfrnggles, tm11 ed their arms agninst the FomHll'ess he1:..;p] r.
1 L c tt c r of 1\lotlHr d e 1\Tate l to the A bhot o f C risy, April 19, 1G43.
2A uto gT:i pl!ic L.. if(> , <'h. XC1l J.
:: 1l>i<l em.
''1 bi<l em.

THE .i\lONASTERY A'l' GRENODLE-

PERIOD OF OBSTACLES

315

In almost ever.r one of hei letters of that epoch, there

esl'.ape some sighs cansecl by the continuity of the v;i t~
which she is obligecl to ieceive. She writes to the Ahbot
of Crisy, on April 5: "'l am overwhelmed by visits whieh
conhibute to my weariness. Perbaps I W'"Ould not have
fewer in Paris. I write you this to console myself for the
embarrassment in which I am placed by continua! vi~its
of the ladies of Dauphiny. I often long to be on the holy
Mount, ''There my soul found a sacred repose and enjoyecl
the hap1Jiness of contemplation. But I must live without
any one to lean on, and abandon myself to God and lose
a 11 in Hi m."
'rlie annoyances caused to the good ~lothe1 by the coutinuons visits of the ladies of Dauphiny, consisted, not only
in the loss of prfracy and of the sacrecl repose of con ternpl~tion, but also in reproaches and contradictions which
would have afflieted a less humble soul. But she was not
t1oubJecl b)T them. She doe~ uot even mention them in her
confidences to her Paiisiau frieuds, '\Yhom she kept informcd
of all the incidents concerning the fonndation. An allrn'\ion
to them is fonnd in on ly one letter in wh ich she sa.rn:
""'T"lrn teve1 worcls of cou tempt are spoken against me, T feel
no bitterness against those who are trying to do disag1eeable things to me. I am insensible to them. It is God
'Yl10 places me in this disposition, and not myself --who
have no virt~1e. I pray the Eternal Father to forgive them
for they know not what they do.'' 1
'l'he friends of the saintly ~lother clid not share h1 insensibility. A letter of Father Gibaliu to the Prior of
Croixil who had written about these trials, gfres us a
knowleclge of those attacks, ancl combats them vietorionsly.
'l'he 1engih of tlrn.t elo(p1ent plea does uot permit 11S to
rep1odnee it in its entfrety. \\'"hat fol1ows \Yill be :-;uftkicnt
to cleai t he repntntion of ~lothe1 de ~IatPl from the cloucl:-;
with which attempts were macle to obscme it, and to make
~till bette1 known the gift of light and of knowledge of
1Letter of March 23. 1643, to the Abbot of Crisy.

31G

LIFE Oli'

JE4~NXE

CHEZ.Hm DE :\IATEL

thi11gs divine, and the childlike simplicity and limpidity

of ~oul whidt her ]Jl'Ofo'<-rnd hnmility l'efletted in all he1
words.
Father Gilmlin wrote as follows: "l have never donbted
that )fothel' de l\Iatel wonld enconnter contl'adictions to
her pions and generous designs, and that he who has evel'
combated the Incarnate '\Vord wonld exhaust all bis wiles
to hinder the glol'y which that holy soul procures for Him.
He is all the more dangerous as be makes use of those who
onght to defend what they attack, under the specions pl'etext of a fnlse piety. But that enemy will be vanquished
at Grenoble as he has been everywhere else. I do not
shme misfrnst in l\fother de l\:fatel's virtne or in ber courage to sustain these refusals and rebnffs, or in the singnlar
p1otection which the Incarnate \Yol'd gives to her as to
a dear danghtel' whom He has chosen to sh'Y fo1th in he1
urnrveh; of His grace. He will dispel all these contradictions and, perhaps, will make theil' anthors undetstand that
it is He 'Yhom they attack. rrhis point will ile cleared
u p by time. ''In res1JOnse to your letter, I will say only this, that
ihose who think to appear spiritual by taking offense at
the frankness and simplicity of ~fothe1 de Matel, and who
disap1nove of ber speaking with such facility about things
of God, gl'eatly deceive themselves, not only because they
wish to lead all souls by the same way and accor(ling to
tlwir fantic~, "Thich they wish to be followed by the Spirit
of God and they do not know that that Spirit, one and
simple 11 itself, is manifold and diYersified in iis etfeds
and opera tions; and acting so di versely in the onle1 of
nnture :rnd n<ljusting it~elf to the diYel'~ity of 11ah11al cnusr~
i~ Hot 1< 1 ~~ :t('t\'e m lef::s flivc1sified i11 the order of g1a<'e.
Bnt ])(8id<~. tliPy plaee the Rpirit of Go<l in :-:ilenee Hhout the
thIJ0'8
of 00<1 , ll H ])]HCC where it S llOt in tnlth. ] ha\'C
M
Herc1 hee11 n hle to t'Omp1ehend tlrnt perfedion c011~i~~ i11
11ere1 speaki 11g of the things of God or in heiug chary when
the1c ii-; 11ee(l to 8peak of them, lJut, indeed, it is ii1 spcak-

THE ~\l OX A\S'l'ERY Xl' GfNOIJLE -- PEUIOD OF OBSTA\CLES

317

ing about God, and one cannot converse about them better
ih::rn hy speaking about them with childlike simplicity) withont affectation or a stUtlied manner.
''If ")lothe1 de ~fa tel SI)ke a bout worldly trifles, or if
she were affected in her conversations, I would say that
ber spirituality had eyaporated, and that she has neither
interior nor true spiritualHy. But since she speaks only
of things of God and with snch simplicity that ber severest
critics are consained to acl~nowleclge that there is not
even any appeaiance of affectation; and since her conYersations, no matter how long continued, are so far from
dissipation or from injuring recollection which those people pretencl to look for so eagerly, that on the contrary
they foster it. Gan any one hold llis spirit more recollected than by concentrating it on God and can any one
concentrate bis spirit elsewhere, if he always speaks of
Gd, not in a studied discourse or by acquired science, but
by knowledge obtained in prayer and drawn from the lights
which undeniably are clearly seen in the conversations of
~fother de l\fatel, as 'vell as in her writings, and which
are more often felt in their effects and in the production
of extraordinary changes in th ose who listen to her? .
"As for rnyself, I frankly confess that the most convincing sign that this soul is guided by the Holy SJJirit, has
been that this woman, who for thirty years bas been speaking continually about God, has written large volumes on
spiritual subjects, has had communications with every class
of persons, has treated with the most learned and spiritual,
with critics and the most punctilions, expresses herself
with snch simplicity that she is a pure crystal in which
all the atoms are visible, and that yet no one has ever
found an enor or anything approaching an error in her
conversations or writinp;s, and that no one , has ever seen
anything but lights without elouds 01 obscnrities, and the
only ie1noach tha t ha~ been pos~ible is that she ta lks too
much about God, which means that she has too many lights
and God makes too many communications to ber.
"I see clearly that what shocks these gentlemen most,
is that the fav01s of Gocl and what He operate~ in us ought

318

LIFE OF JEANNE Cl:IEZARD DE l\L\.TEL

to e concealed and that the contrary course violates humility. Hnt if the graces of Heaven must be always concealed,
we would know noth1g about 'vhat happens in the interior
life of the saints. And if this l\f other, who has never studied
and has learned all that she says in the school of the
Holy Spirit, cannot speak openly and contiunally of things
divine, without letting ns see something of the happenings to her soul, must we therefore condemn her to perpetnal silence? \Ve should say the same of all the saintly
men and women who held conversations which smpass their
natmal capacity. .
'"However, humility is violated less by this candor which
is blamed, than by nntimely silence which often cornes frorn
inordinate love of self. 'rl1e soul that considers the graces
it has receiYed as its own, and believes that those who
lemn about them owe it honor for them, locks them up as
its own treasnre. On the contrary, the soul that considers
thern as favors of Heaven and claims no glory from them,
does not take eare to keep them under Iock and key. It
is possible to be silent from pride and to speak from humility. "'Vhat erime is it in those who are ever led by the
Spirit of God and receive a million graces, if here or there
they manifest a few '? 'rl1is is the case of Mother de l\fatel,
foi those deceive themselves who believe that she displays
all the iiches of her soul. 'rhey see only a few feeble indil'ations of them.
"~rherefoie I conclude that it is not right to blame
silence, or speaking, 01 communicativeness, or great reserve
in these matters, ecause both courses may be good or bad.
\Ye shonld Jeave the decision to God and to those who
Jrnow the hottom of the soul, who know also the manuer
in whkh God leads them. ~rhese are my sentiments which
will uot he ap1noyed by cel'tain spiritual critirs, but you
h:tve Hll OlH'le whom yon can tommlt and who is better
v<'l'N<<l i11 tlieNe lwl1t<'l'N il1m1 T am. Yon lrnow well that
I Jefp1 Io J1i111 1 wl10111 yon haYc take11 as the g11id0 of yonl'
own life and whom T salute 1110Nt ('Ol'dially aR I <lo nl~o
.:\Ia<lm11e. de Heyel. J 11 all hc1 letten~, l\fother de l\latcl
lFa th cr Arn ou x, a form er c onfess or of Luui ::; Xfll,

THE :JIOX ASTEnY .AT GilEXOBLE-

PEilIOD OF OBSL\.CLES

319

"Tites me of her great obligations to :you three. I pray

the Incmnnte \Yord to reeompense you and 'vish for au
opvortunity to 1nove that I am your most humbl e and
obedjent serTnnt,
As soon as the good Prior of Croi:xil receivec1 this letter,
he circulated it all over Grenoble. 8nch a testimony, emanating from a man of the world who knew Jiother de jJatel
most intimately, and whose high character was above all
suspicion of pnrtiality, producecl the desirecl effect. The
friends of the Foundress were enraptured at seeing their
own sentiments tlrns confirmed, and her aclversaries no
longer dared to indulge in declamations against her.
Hov.,ever the latter did not for all this become more
fayorable to her work. The first step taken after the re9pening of the Chambers to obtain the ratification of the
letters patent, was rejected by the opposing pm-ty. On
April 20, the worthy Mother wrote to the Abbot of Crisy:
"JI. de Saint-Andr and ten others h<ffe lJO"'erfully resisted
us. He who came to announce this, on entering my room
said to me: 'All the demons are now unehained against
this Order !' Yes, now is the hour of the powers of dark ness and the demons are trying to p1olong it. \Vith our
hearts conformed to the will of God, we must sa:y with
David: 'Arise, 0 Lonl, and seatter Your enemies !~ m
Three days Inter, . on :Jiay :2, the affair was again to be
brought before the Parliament. The session promised to
be so stormy that some of the protectors of the Foundress
thought it best to clelay the matter. )fr. de la R~vire, in
particular~ had prepared for a strong strnggle against the
Attorney General, )(r. de Revel, who pleaded for the ratitication of the letters. That morning, during her meditation: Om Lo1d commanded the venerable 3.Iother to len 'Te
her prayers and to "Tite to )fr. de la H.idre. She clid
this. She wrote to the Abbot of Crisy, on Jlay 10:
W'shing to prevent quarrels in the palace bet\yeen the
bvo parties, the rich race and the good race, I wrote to
1Letter of :::.\fot her de :::.\fatel to the Abbot of C1isy, April 29, 16- 3.

320

LIF'E OP

.JE.\.~NE

CHEZAilD DE :\lATEL

him and said that, after snffering without complaint cluring Lent and the Paschal time, all that he Iwd said against
me, I came to complain to himself and to tell him of my
ast01lishment tlwt, without my having given him any eause,
he used such extreme severity towarcls me and aroused such
opposition to the establishment of the Orcler of the Incarnate \Vord, and that, whereas he was my jndge, he seemed
to take the attitude of a partisan, a thing which I was unwill ing to believe, for I esteemed him to be too pions to
oppose the glory of the God of piety, and too civil to reject
onr humble request."
A~ soon as ~fr. dei la Rivire received this letter he went
straight to the palace. He there showed the missive by
which he consiclered himself injured and insulted, and,
with a voice of thunder, protested that, having been accused
by Mother de ~fatel since she called him a judge and a
partisan, he would take no part in the_ deliberations; he
retired followed by several councilmen of bis faction.
For a moment, the supporters of the Foundation bclieved that thefr cause was lost. Several inwardly blamed
the initiative which had nmv provoked this violent seces~ion and asked thern~elves to what excesses the irritation
which had resultecl might go. But soon the good l\fother
could write: ''You made my friends say, 0 feli culpa , as
the Church chants on Holy Saturday. Contrar;v to merely
hnman prudence, happy the fanlt that cmrned the absence
of those who wonld have prevented the ratification, for we
had only one vote more than was needed. If they lwd re1rndned, they wonlcl have incl'eased the numbel's of their
eabal and wonld liave brought over to it two or three who
wc1c not firm.m
rrhis small majority shows that the opposition, although
depl'ivcd of its chief, did not snJTender. ':I1he strnggle was
krng mHl the se~~ion was stormy. Among those who were
1nesc11t awaiting the issne, was the Bishop's Vicar Gcneral,
the Abb Manh. Seeing the diRcussion prolonge<l and
fea1ing that if the affai1 wcre not eoncluded on that day,
file d~l<1y would 1w1mit the oppoRition to wenve new webR,
1 Au

togrnph ic Lif e , c h. X C III.

THE ~IO~ASTJWY~\.T GTIE::\'"ORLE-

PETIIOD OF OGST~\.CLES

331

he got the thought of stopping the Palace clock. His expedient sncceeded. rrhe meeting broke np only after the
deci~ive Yotiug.
:\Iothel' de nfatel conld then mrnounce to her friends at
Pmis tliat theii- ('Ommon efforts had lleen c1owned with success: "'Praised Ile the Incarnate 'y ord 'Yho, on the feast
of St. Athanasius, triumphed over the oppositions made
fo His estn blishmen t ;" she wrote in words full of uuction
wbich we are not weary of hearing. '"Cp to the present: 1
have not been alJle to tell yon that the Pailiament had ratified the letters patent. On tbis blessed Saturday, it bas
made i ts decree and giYen all the permissions required. But
our adversaries haye had the de('ree conched in such tel'ms
that I am forbidden to bny in the city of Grenoble a house
already built to lodge my daugliters, and I am permitted
only to buy a site to bnilcl. :Never was a design opposed
sb strongly 'Yith so little reason. God has shown . His allpowerful arm by frustra ting the wiles of the proud. They
are not changed, but tliey al'e not so powerful as they
imagine. Their discord is a suffering to me, for I would
wish to see all in peace. l threw myself in to the sea to
quell the tempest of the two parties wbich are ontinually
OJJf)QSing each other in Parliament. I have not succeeded
in this and have had l~ss success in promoting peace lJetween the Bishop and the Parliament of Grenollle. 2\Iy
dear son, how happy is the soul that can live in solitude
and peace ! How afflicting are the embarrm.;sments caused
by earthly courts !''1
The note of sadness which terminates this annonncement
of the glad ne"'s, is found in all of the Mother's coITespondence of tlrnt epoch. To the conflict and malice which
she describes, and to the mysterious presentiments from
which she bas suffe1ed so much, there is added he1 patriotism to cause desolation of soul.- At the moment when she
was undertaking this foundation, Our Lord had made known
to her that the days of Louis XIII were nearing their end.
T'he loss of this ~lonarch, for whose glory and happiness
she had prayed so much, and the woes which perhaps " ""ould
1Letter of May 6, 1643.

322

LIFE OF' JEAN"XE CHEZAilD DE :;\IATEL

be canse<l to France by the long minority of h is sncccsRor,

lille<l her with affliction. She wrote to the Abbot of C1isy:
.. rl'he Ki11g's illness has made me shed temN, as if my eycs
we1c the two pools described by 8olomo11. I am i11deed
the danghtcr of a multitude of SOI'l'mn~. I could be compared to no other. 1-1 he Incarnate 'Yord conld co11sole me,
but He is a God hidden in dal'lrness, I prayed Him to be
the Savior. But this voluntal'y ::\Iirror was veiled to me
m1d this free Oracle spoke to me never a word. In my
deep sa<lness I said: Dear J_,ord, Yon hear my heart speaking to Y ou and my face shmvs Y on my affliction !'
"All the good news that has been published and the
ratification of the letters patent, have not been able to
dra w my spirit out ofthis gulf of weminess. This evening
I said to the Incarnate 'Vord: You have said that she
who is in labor is sad because she suffers great pains, bnt
th nt when she has ginin a man to the world, she rejoices.'
I was not worthy to bring Yon forth, however Your goodness has given me this grace this very day, but it does not
produce in me the effed of joy. Dear Love, it is now four
years since Yon told me that, in the month of l\fay, I wonhl
bl'ing forth the cross: I now see the verification of this
p1ediction.m
Indeed it was her ow11 cross that .the ~Iother had brought
forth. 'rlrns, some weeks before, on the very feast of the
Incarnation, Our Lord had shmn1 her in a vision, a cross
of St. Andrew of snch dimensions that they reached to
the four cornel'S of the earth. Rhe had aceepted it, as she
says, .. by disposing herself to Rnffer all frorn all parts of
the world, if it were giYen her to bear that word of the
1
( l'ONS wliith
those who al' lost regard rn~ folly, but which
for ihose who are Ravcd is the inRnment of the vower of
God.'' 2
1L e tter o f M ay ~. 16 4 3.
2Aut ogT:1 plli c Life, c h . XC TJ T.

CHAP'l'ER XVIII
Second Journey to Avignon
16-!3
Jfother de )Iatel lHffing obtained all the reqnired authorizations, immediately began the task of executing her pions
purpose. As no one offered to supply the pecuniary means
of founding the monastery. the Bishop said to her : "I belieYe that you ~ ourself are equal to the task." Confiding
in ProYidence who had promised her the where"ith to founcl
five monastel'ies, she accepted the undertaking. On this
matter she giYes to the Abbot of Crisy some cul'ious details on what she had to furnish. The sums were consiclerable for those times, but vould be absolutely insufficient
in our day. "\Yhat would you say of my courage. or per-
haps temerity, in founding the monastery of Grenoble,
by giving JOOO lfrres in cash to purchase a house ; JOO francs
for furniture; 110 francs as an annual pnsion for each
one of my daughters. without all of this trou b1ing me'?
Is not this temerity'? :Xo, my dear son, since the Incarnate
\Y ord has pmyer a-ver earthly treasures as well as ffrer the
incomparable wealth of Reaven.~
The1e '\Ya~ now nothing remaining to do but to bring
to Grenoble the snbjects destined for that fonndation. As
the ln"'" ieqnired that in their journeys Sisters shoulcl be
accompanied by a prieRt w ho could hear their c onfe~sion~
and give them Communion. the Foundress wrote to Prior
Bernarclon, begging him to render this se1Tice.
On .Jfay 18~ she set out \Yth him and Sister Elizabeth
Grasseteau for AYignon. On the h\entieth. she was with
her daughters who wre overvd1elmed "ith happiness at her
arrival. The~,. iecefred her in procession at the door of
the cloister and condneted he1 into the choir while they
chanted the T c D culll. ~\.t the sight of he1 family clothed
1

ILe tt e r of F e bru a ry 1 5. 164 3. f r o m ::.\I o t her de -:.\Iat el t o the Abbi)t

of C ris y.

323

3~4

in the livery of the Incarnate 'Vord, the soul of the pious

Mother overflowed with joy which, she said, made her forget all her tronbles.
The nivine S1JOuse ha<l lavished His blessiugs on her
little commnnity. It now counted nine already p1ofessed,
four novkes, two lay Sisters, and a phalanx of Sisters of
the Child Jesus, besides a great nmnber of boarding pupils.
Not only was the bouse prosperous in numbers, but everytbing breathed order and regularity. Almost a year before, the Sisters had been able to take possession of their
new couvent. As the memoirs tell us, "the workmen lalwred
so effieiently, tlwt their angels seemed to animate them.
~l"hey did four clays' work in one."
But the greatest consolation of the venerable Mother
was in the souls of her daughters. She conversed with each
. one in priva te and admired the signal graces with which
Jesns responded to the generosity of their love. The six
to whom she had given the habit of the Incarnate "Tord,
although they had been already advanced in perfection,
seemcd now, as it were, transformed into new creatures in
Christ, their Spouse. The others, who after these, had irreyocably consecrated themselves to the Incarnate "Tord by
their holy profession, were treading firmly in their footsteps.
Rister Catherine of ~J esus Richardon had passed more
th:rn seven years in the Congregation. Rer parents had
opposed her entry into religion, but in 1641 she had won
their consent and they themselves had taken her to Avignon
to rcive the habit of the On1er. She was tlrns well known
by the worthy Mothe1. But hcr virtues lrnd taken a wonde1f11l gTowth which shc was rnost solieiions i11 eoncealing,
foi ~hc h:ul n ~pedal attraction foi lrnmility alH1 for the
life hi(l('ll i11 Go<l; ~lie gave P(li1ieation to nll. IIer
:-;p1:1pldc piety was 1P('OlllJK1 ll~Pd h,r ime fav01s. 'Phe I11(':tJ11ate "\Vmd l'eve:tlPd to he1 ilte he:rnty of lli8 holy I-Iurnm1ity :rn<l e~peeially of' llis divim Py<:~. 'rhc image of
thcm wa~ :--o prnfnndly imp1i11te<l <>ll he1 soul, that no mat-

SI<..:COND JOURXEY TO AVIGNON

325

ter how great the desolations with which God pleased to

try her, the mere memory of the.ir ravishing lustre filled
her with celestial joy.
.
Sister Claude Seraphic de Piellat was a native of Saint~fami in Dauphiny, but had been brought up by the
Ursulines of Avignon. Believing herself called to th~ religions life, without the knowledge of her family she had
asked them to receive her into their novitiate. The humility, obedience, and mortification which she practiced there~
won the hearts of her mistresses. But in spite of all this,
she could not decide to stay in their house, as she fel t herself borne towards an unknown goal \Vhich attraded her
irresi8tibly. As soon as she heard of the monastery of the
J ncarnate 1'.,..ord, in which her relative, Catherine d' A1Hh,
had jnst been received, her heart bounded with joy. ~rhat
~va~ the place to 'vhich she was called by the Divine Spouse.
She said nothing of this to any one but waited for Providence to open a path for her. Her father hearing that she
had passed from the boarding-school to the novitiate, was
greatly displeased. His desfre was to establish her in the
world where her fortune and persona} charms had caused
ber hand to be sought by several young gentlemen. He
took her out of the couvent, but coulcl not change her resolution to consecra-te herself to God. Sorne time afterwards,
she crossed the threshold of the blessed home in which her
heart had dw,.elt. At the time that she received the maternal
blessing of :Mother de Ma tel, she had been bound to J esus
by the holy vows only a few weeks. She was nineteen yeais
of age. She was full of ]jfe and activjty, and seemed
destined to spend herself in long labors of zeal and devotedness.
Ho\vever, she was specially predestined to imitate the
:Man of Sorrows in the Incarnate 'Vord. Dnring the nine
or ten last years of hcr life, all the parts of her body were
snccessively cove1ed with sures to which it was necessa1y
to apply the lrnife and fil'e. " 1 hile she was snffcring this
exterior martyrdom, her soul was a prcy to snch severe interior pains th at, as her confessor said, "the rocks conld
not have helped weeping if they had heard their recital."

32G

LIFE OF JE.\NNE CHEZ.Hm DE l\l.ATEL

Aided by the help of the divine l\Iother who was her only
consolation, so the amrnls relate, she ""as a mirror of resignntion and patience. She oft<\n repeated: '"My God, Yon
are my joy and my torment !'' A short while before her
end, she said: "It is frne that in m:v condition, I ought to
desire (leath ~ lrnt if God wd1ecl me to snffer tlrns nntil the
day of jndgment, I wonld ae('ept it hpmtily." 1
Sister Claude of the ::\1"atidty was scarcely nineteen year~
of age and gave JH'Omise of high sanctity. 'fhe beginning
of her religions life was marked by her fervor and her zeal
for fide1it:v to a11 ieligions observanees. Her heart became
so inflamed with love for God, that she conld not constrain
her ardent sighs whieh bmst fol'th day and night. For several years she was employed in the training of the novices,
and she inflamed them with her own tire, and, by her example, she imparted to them her own attraction for all
the virtnes. A fte1 fifty yems of a life filled with merits
and blessed by signal fayors, her soul took its flight to
the bosom of the Lord, leaving a uame that was held in
benediction.
Sister Pierrette of the Conception nnpny had taken
the holy habit and made her profession at the same time
as Sh~ter Claude of the ~ativity, and emulated lier virtnes.
She attenclecl with joy and fe1Tor a1l the spiritual exercises and deYoted he1self with no less ardor to mamrnl
occupations. 2\lother de ~fotel seleeted her to be one of
the fmmdation stones of the rnona~te1ies which she wa~
estnb1ishing. Hut the In('arnate W'"md wi1led to build them
Itther on her patience than 011 her labors. Re sent he1
serious and frequeut mnlaclies whieh ~he eudurt>d with rel igion8 courage. Hnt wlHlll she ha(l a re~pHe from lier
snffe1iug~, shc wonld ie~nme hc1' wol'k "w ith ~mch ardo1
t1wt,'' ns the -:\fe1110i1s ohse1TP, 'she ~<-e11wd 1ievPr to haYe
lH ('ll jJl. ''
On S('Yel'd o<md orn~ (; od 1< (:0lll P<'ll~<-<l hp1 gc11er0Ri ty b.r
p1'< Hl ig i (l~. On ('C w lien she ~Perned a bon t to b1ea the ltp1
Jast, ~lie begau n 110Ye11a 1o Om Lady of the 8even l >olors;
1

1 lJiograp h

y uf lll e fin;t Sbt en; of .i\ vignon.

327

SECOXD JO U UNEY TO AYIG NON

at its end, a violent crisis multiplies her snfferings which

howe,Tel' are immediately followed y vig01ons health. On
anothe1 occa~ion wh en she was nt Pal'i s wiih the Mother
Fuundress who. could not bem to see her daughtel's suffer,
she was again mfracnlously cnred y th e prayers of the
good ~lother. But the rnost p1eeions g1ace " 'ith which the
lncal'nate W'" ord erowned the heroism of His spouse, was
such peace and resignation in pain that she seemed to be
insensible to it. Her final illness, which lasted ten days,
was accompanied by unspeakable inte1ior desolation. But
her heart desired on ly one thing from God, namely, t lwt
His good pleasure -w ould be entirely aceornplished in her.
Fnde1 the " ' hite veil of the IHwices, 3Iother de ~latel
found again l\liss Henri et te de Beauchamp whom in the first
days of the foundation she had received among her boardiJ1g pupils.
Aftel' a stay uf one yem in the horn;.;e, the famlly of the
charming child took he1 away. ~he made incessant appeals to reenter but withont snecess. She 'vatched for a
ehance when the portress was ab8ent, to slip in fnrtively.
Rhe succeeded. A ll the remonstranees of t he relip;ious could
not pre,,rail on her to l'ei nrn to hei own home. As soon
as ~ladame de Beauchamp noticed her absence, she said to
hel'self: ~Iy daughter lrns gone and forced her way into
the convent.'' She arrives thel'e in g1eat irritation and
demands that her danghter corne out immediately. The
littlc .g'i1l,
canie(l 1ather t han led bv the Sisters. finallv
..
.
cornes to the parlor, hut snddenly she escapes, and runs and
hides under the stairway. Tlnough the littlc grille in the
front door, ~ladame de Beauchamp is a witneAs of this
scene. She 1ealizes that none of h el' own effort~ will SlH:eeed in inmphing over sneh resolntene~~ and lJeing averse
to resisting the will of God, ~he consents for h e1 dangh ter
to main in the house. '1'his ch ild was called to ieap a
rich hane~t of rne1it~. Rhc had mnltif)lied generons acts
of lmmility, Relf-denial, and zeal for the divine service,
when an illn ess of fifteen days opelled to her the gates of
a lwppy ete1nity, only six years af1er lier profession .
'-'

328

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE 1\INPEL

One of her companions in the novitate, Sister Magdalen

of the '11 1inity_ de C'lnetien, was also to fill ont a long career
in a shod time. Dnring the two years ihat she was a little
Siste1 of th Chi Id .J csus, she had begged wi th tears for
the habit of the Order. But as soon as she was clothed
with jt, she saw herself assailed by temptations against
he1 vocation. She had been thus struggling for seveu
montlu~, "\Yhen the venerated Mother arrived at Avignon and
obtained for her not only deliverance from her pains, lmt
also a feeling of such great g1atitude for the grace which
the 1 ncarnate 'Yol'Cl had bestowed upon her by calling; her
to His service, that she could never speak of this subject
without intense joy; in thanksgivillg for it, every day she
iecited a Te Deum and three Glo1ias. She devoted herself
to the practice of all the virtues '~rith such ardor that, a
year aftcr her profession, she was judged capable of filling
various offices in the monastery of Grenoble, where she remained three years. Returning to Avignon, she acqui ttecl
herself, with the same zeal, of the duties thel'e confided
to her, until Our Lord, by the c1oss, put the lnst tonch to
the beauty of her soul. After long sufferings borne with
he1oism, she died leaving behind he1 such a svreet odor
of vfrtne that ihe pages consec1ated to her memory are perfumed "\vith it.
The touching fervor of the Little Sisters of the Chi ld
.J esns, was not the least consolation to the heart of the
good l\fother. If the Incmnate 'Yord then raised the veil
of the futme to her eyes, what must have been her tra11spo1-t of gratitude, for from this beautiful mnsery were to
go forth great and holy religions. One of them, Angeliqne
de Guast, was to be called repeatedl.r to govern the monastery of Avignon, in which her intelligeHte and vil'tne placed
her in the front rank. On the 11oble 1wtnre with whieh she
was endowcd, grace was to w01k wonders. Her heroic rnortification detached he1 from self mu1 eYerything earthy, a
sublime gift of prayer unitc<1 her intirnaiPly to God, and
l1p1 exrp1 isite charity made lH1 the delight of her Sisters .
.. \~ iliP .Mrmoi1R icr01'<l:
'~he Jrnd a ioyal hea1t which

SECOND

JOUU~EY

'l'O A YlG~ON

329

placed her in a state of happy pmverlessness to be soured

against any one who had gfren cause for bitterness; she
maintained regular discipline and won every heart.m
Susanne de Gnast, one of her sisters, also wore the
habit of the Little Sisters of the Child J esus, and was to
have an equally long and edifying career. She was so avid
of austerities that she was ingenious fn inventing them by
placing pebbles and boards in ber bed and covering herself
with instruments of penance. Shc was as tender for others
as she was astere to herself, and often repeated that she
"ould rather suffer than carn~e pnin to any one. Hcr lrnmilHy and detachment were propo1tionate to her grcnt m01tification. She had the most tende1 love for her angel guardian. I t was revealecl to her thn t he belonged to the Ch oil'
of the Thrones. She also had a most special devotion to
the Roly Sacrifice of the Mass. She said she had neve1
nsked a grace at the moment of the Elevation, without obtaining it. She had worn the religions habit for fifty-niue
years when she fell asleep in the Lord.
Yery different were the designs of the Incarnate \Yord
011 little Sister Anne of St. Paul Dupu:r.
She \vas the ff1st
ttmver of His parterre that He was pleased to transplant
into the garden of Hea,ren. He took her in ber tenderest
bloRsoming. A "are of the Rhortness of her life, she hastened to accumulate a g1ent tremmre of merits. . -.U the
age of t\velve she made a vow of chastity. She wished to
iise in the morning as early as the religions, to mnke the
meditation with them, because, as she said, 'in this holy
e:x:ercise her soul strengthened itself with the virtues of
a queen." She was so ingenions in practicing mortification
that it was difficult to moderate her. She iemained kneeling on stones or angular objects. If by accident she received
a slight wound she put salt in it; she punished her smallest
faults by taking the discipline even with nettles. Her chm'ity aud obedience \Yere not less admirable.
A stomach trouble which at first appeared to be a fritle,
soon redn<.:ed her to the lnst e:x:tremity. At her repeated
1Biog-raphies of th e first Sisters of the l\lonastery of Avignon.

330

LIFE OF

JEA~~E

CHEZAilD DE

~IATEL

emne~t

prayers, Rhe was grnnted the iwivi lege of rece1 vmg

the hnl>it of a novite a11d of aftenymdR making he1 profesRiou. He1 life or rnther her rnartyrdom was eonRide1nbly prolonged. Her p1epmntions for her departure
from thiR w<wld 1esemhled 11Hwe thoRe of a betrothed to
1msR to the eomt of n 1oy<ll sponse, than preparntio11s for
death. Ou Reptemher 1~, lGJG, nt the age of nl>out fifteen
yems, she left this enrih ly a bode for w hn t Rhe called the
place of he1 nuptinls. As the n1111als sny: "Life and den th,
all Joye and sweet11eRs, mnke us see that God does not measure snnctity hy yean~ and thnt He cn11 l'(lise, in n moment,
to the highest <leg1ee of pe1fection.''
Bnt de:w litt1 e Rii-.;ter Anne of St. Panl left to he1 ieligionR family f-.iomething hesides the edifyi11g rnemory of her
Iife and death. Before her, two of he1 sisters hnd entered
the m011aste1y of A 'Tignon and we1e to perfnme it with
the od01 of thefr vi1tnes. "'" e have a hendy mentioned the
eldest, the valinnt Hister Pienette of the Coneeption, who
will be so helpf'ul to . the 1fothe1 Fonrnhess. rrhe second
was yet amollg the mm1be1 of the HisterR of the Child Jesus.
On her a]fo;o, the heart mHl eyeR of the vene1al>le l\fother
loved to 1eRt. ~neh g1ne<! nud nio<lesty Rhone ont in the
eom1te11nnte of ihc l<wahh ehihl, that the )lother enlled
her he1 m1gel. Befol'e depnl'ting, Rhe gave he1 the veil of
a 110Yi<'e and nmned he1 R;te1 EJizahcth of the Angels.
IIer life wn~ to jnRtify the good 1lother's expedations. Her
jndgmeut nud tnd, and espeeia11y he1 yfrtneR made her a
p1eci onf.I help to the eornnnmity. RneceRsively ~he wns )Iish ess of th e LiUie ~foe 1s of the Child JesuR, of the hoardi ng pnpils, of the lny RiRters, and of the novkes. As the
jJemofrs r elah\ "i11 Hll of these ol'tiees Rhc aeqnitted he1self
witl1 g1c nt gP11ile11cNs mHl i)cnee, wns ever ve1y i11te1ior
nrnl tlosply 1rnite<1 with 00<l, nrnl wns the admiration of
i h <>Re w11 o wen~ 111 t<lp1 he1 gn i <lmHe. " 1
rro :. dop a11<l ('Ollternphlie thP hkssi11;f.\ whidt the T1wm ~
n a( e \ \'m'{l pou1e<l f'odh on ihP w01k whieh Tk hn<l eonfi<k<l io ~loihP1 <lP I\fatPl , R indee<l to eontemplate herself
:rnd tlwi whi('h , nt the Ppoch in hcr Jife \\"C have 11ow
1r nogT<1 p h ies of tll c ti rs t S is kn; o f t h e

1\ Iona s l c 1 ~f

of A.vigno n.

SECOXD .JOURXEY TO J .. VIGXO N

331

reachecl, made her sonl overflm\' with gratitude. However

we cannot take the time to tell all, and no matter how fas. einating \Yere the beantiful liYes of hei ieligious '"ith their
, anreoles of sanetity, we cnnnot sketch them all. Althongh
each one ietained hel' own distinct phy~iognomy, a blend
of sweetness and sength, of loYe for the c1o~s and t he spirit
of prayel', giv"es them all a family likeness and permits
us to picture for ourselyes those whose lineaments we have
not sketchecl.
The delightful moments of intimacy during which the
venerable ~Iother conlcl converse with he1~ pious daughters,
'vere neeessarily brief. It a ppeared as if all Avignon wished
to see her dming the twelve days of he1 visit. The personages "ho had known her from the time of hel' fhst journey
to that city, had hastened to corne to ieeommencl themselves
to ber prayer~, and to eull some of the gnod and hol:r say. ings of which her heart was full. 'rhose " ho h<~fl not previously seen ber, seemed still mol'e eager to aPJneciate that
:Jlothe1 \Yho was ~o 1enowned for ht;r favnrs from Gocl and
whose daugbters lfred like angels. But no one was more
desirous of conversing "ith th e worthy Found1ess than
l\Iadame de Seryi(\re.
\Ye knmv that, by her impol'tunings and constancy, her
only daughter had obtained he1 pareui s consent to take
the habit of the Little Sisters of the Child .J esus, and that
she honored it by vfrtnes whicb "ere aheady heroic.. But
the noble lad~ could not become resigned to make the sacrifice of her only chilcl. Hoping that perhaps the worth.r
)fother wonld be touched by her reasons and her desolation, she came in teal's to relate how her little Laura had
gone so far as to eut off her hafr in the hope thnt aft er she
was thus disfigured, he1 parents would no longer think
of making hel' l'et11l'11 to the world, an slie aclded that
all hcr effo1ts to keep hel' at home had een without success. '"Dear )lothe1," she "ould say, "yon do not doubt
my affection for your monastel'y, and yet I cannot give
it my daughter. 1 haYe only one and I am without hope
of having another."

3~2

LIF'E OF

JID~\NNE

CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

'rl1e 11..,omHhess was eqnally touchecl by the mofer's sor1ow and y her danghte1's ge11erosHy, and was unwilling
either to ro God of the yonng hemt of which He was so .
jealous or to sencl the desolate mother awav without consolation, so with invincile confidence she had recourse
to the tenderness of her Spouse. After a moment of recollection she saicl: '"l\Iadame, be consoled and hope as I
do that the Incarnate 'Vorcl will give you another daughter
to replace, by your side, her whom He has taken away
from yon to prese1ve her and assure her salvation. "Mother,
do you assure me "o f this r' inquired the virtuous lady. "Yes,"
she replies, ''because I know how good God is. Confide
in Him. Imita t the Father of believers by generously
offering your daughter. By this means you will draw down
many graces on your family."
The effect of these words on tlie spirit qf that disconsolate mothe1 was decisive. From that moment she ceased
to lament the being dep1ived of her child, although God,
to refler her sacrifice .more meritorious su bjected her confidence to a long trial. Like Abraham, whose example had
been proposed to her, she was to receive the recompense
of her faith only after seeing the knife of immolation raised
oyer the head of her child. It was only after her daughter
had made her profession, that the promise of the saiutly
Mother ieceived its accomplishment. :Madame de Servire
had to wait four years.
'l1 hese years were for the mother a period of anxious
waiting. As for her courageous daughter, they passed by
in alternations of heroic struggles and signal victories, of
rapturcs and of desolations, by which the Divine Love consmnmates the purification of souls who have climbed to
the smnmit of perfection. Of an impetuous and sensitive
nature, y the power of grace she rose above herself. To
rnortify and conquer herself, and to unite he1self with God,
was the constant oject of her effo1ts. 'Vlicn her vivacity
was checked, lier blood boiled, lmt shc perrnitted to escape
11eitltc1 a w01d nor a movemcnt of impatience, and her
P111oi ion was h0i iayPd on 1y y the bl rn~hes on her face. ~ro
f'eel a rc1rngrnrncc for a thi11g was cnough for hcr to makc
v

SECOND JOURNEY TO AVIGNON

333

lier dnty to do it. She "'\YOuld have liked always to

ernployed in the most me11ial labors nnder obedience
the Jay Sisters. Sorne would srarcely have the courage
read all that this ehild had the courage to do in order
rnortify lier taste.
Such generosity drew dmyn upon her abundant graces.
Often snch a fiame of loye was enkindled in her heart, that
she conld not bear its ardors, and she was obliged to apply
to her bosom a wet towel which in a moment became dry
from th~ heat. Sometimes such was the vehemence of that
love, that she was incapable of suppressing her feelings,
and she ran into the garden to call on the Sisters and
on all creatnres to love their Creator. In a transport she
said: "Dear Sisters, let us love Love! Oh! when shall we
have the blessing of seeing Increated Love!" And she prayed
for the wings of a dove to fly as soon as possible to her vVell. Beloyed.m
God regarded not the tenderness of her age, but had
in view the height of the perfection to which He called
her. He cansed His consolations to be succeeded by a state
of midity and terrible temptations. All her passions wrere
in revolt; meditation, that arsenal which before had furnished her with arms for every kind of combat, became impossible. The courageous child had recourse to the Blessed
Virgin. Aided by her materna} protection, she sought
through mortification and perseverance in prayer, Him Who
had hidden Himself from her embrace. At times sbe addressed the plants and trees, former "'\Vitnesses of her tram;ports; like the spouse in the Canticles, she asked thcm if
they had not seen Him Whom alone she loved more than
ever. She longed to see the end of the life in which it
is possible to lose J esus. Finally, He allowed ber to :find
Him, and hy the sweetness of His._ sensible presence He
re,yarded her with the gift of tears.
By her supplications, the holy child sncceedcd in ben-ding the Rule and the Superiors, and obtained the habit
of a novice six months before the age marked in the Cou~Jitutions.
Shc had to purchase with a combat, the joys
it
be
to
to
to

lBiographies of the first Religious of the Monastery of Avignon.

334

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\1 ATEL

of that gieat day. Satan attacked her violently even on

the qne8tiou of her vocation for whicb she hnd sacrificed
all. 'Yith generons fidelity 8he slrnt her ears to hi~ lying
Yoice. The Incarna te \Yord recornpensed he1 y a divine
fayor. Du1ing the l\fm of the ceremony, He i llumi11ed
her with a light in whicb He Himself saw ber and ~he saw
herself near the Divine King, her Spouse, like anotber
Esther, shining with beauty. Her soul was filled with so
many consolations that all her pains vanished. 'l'hat Mass
seemed to her to have lasted only a minute.
After this grace, animated by new strength, she advanced rapidly in perfection during her novitiate which
\vas nownecl by the holy profession. She longed even for
this, less arclently than for Heayen where she would be
nnited to ber Sponse, not in the obscurities of faith, but
in the splendors of eternal beatitude. J esns had inspired
this desire and was inflamed with it more than she, and
He granted it promptly. On October 18, 1647, after a brief
illness: she took her ftight to the celestial country, en1iched with immense treasures, although she had passed
only seventeen years on earth. l\fadame de Servire, whose
maternal heart was twice immolated by separation from
her belove'l daughter, did not remain without consolation. 'I'he child promisecl in compensation for her sacrifice, had been given to her. Sbe \Yas able to thank
God for having made her the mother of a saint in Heaven
and of an -an gel on earth.
'l"'he daughters of :Mother de Matel, and the people of
Avignon would have detained the Foundress for a long time.
nnt Monsignor Scarron, the Bishop of Grenoble, needed
to go to 1-'aiis, and he di cl not wish to quit his episcopa l
city lJefo secing the final establishment of the mouastery
of the lnearnate "Tord. From the first days after her arl'ival at .A vignou, the Fouudress was consideri11g the means
to be taken for her dcpadure. 'l'he ~piritual and temporal
hlcssi11g-s witlt whidi lier first mo1rnstery had heen favored,
mulei the wise dil'ectiou of Mother 1\fa rgaret of ~Jesns, made
~rothei de l\f nte1 cast hcr eyes upon her as ber first choice
rm HUJ><'l'ot'CHS :11~ Gre110hle. But the Vical' Gcncral beiug

SECOXD JOURXEY TO A YIGXOX

unwilling to co11sent to this proposal, she finally selected

Mothers Mary of the Roly Ghost, Teresa of .J esus, .Jeanne
of the Passio11 a11d Pier1ette of the Conception, who we1e
joined b~r an excellent gil'l named Cecilia who woulcl fulfill
the office of portress.

CHAr~rER

XIX

Foundation of the Monastery of Grenoble

1G43
As the good )fother, with he1 little colony, was goiug
fmf from the monastery of Avignon, she fel t as if ber
hcart diYided itself into two parts. ..r11hose who stayed
l>ehind," she said, ""kept lrnlf of it.m In spite of the sor10-ws m1d tears of separation, the hearts that were pmted
were valiant. ~rl10se who were leaving were going awny
to lnl>m for the extension of the glory of the Incarnate
'Vord. rrhey left Avignon on June 1, without pe1mitting
ihemselves to l>e detained by the heavy rains which had
made the ronds almost impassable. rrhe pions canwnn
lwd not gone fa1 when it sa\v the entire country innndated.
The rivers had ovel'ftowcd theil banks. Soon the roads
wcre like tonents; the travele1s conld hardly find land
io move upon. ~rhey could scaicely see more than the
headR of the horses, and the wate1 entered the cnniage
almost to the height of the seats. The Sisters had to stand
e1ect. And most unfortunately, the vchicle. whieh was
hcavily loaded, was in snch a poor condition tlrnt it seerned
nhont to fall to pieces. rrhe driver and his aid came nem
1osing their lives. Prior Bcrnanfon and the Sisters ,,~e1e
frightcned but did not <lare to say anything, becanse the
pions ~Iother , all absorbed in God, remnined as peacefnl
m1d iecollected as if she had been in her orntory.
rrhe
ieli gious, finally, were overcome by their incl'emg feal's,
and , following the example of the Apostles who nronsed
their l\faster sleeping throu;h the tempesi, they broke in
upon her rini etnde to urge lwr to heg the J nemrn1 te
\Vord to sm"e th cm from thi s pp1i1. T'he ypu0rnble l\fothc1
wn 8 th en pcnefrn tell by these wmtls of the Prnphet: / n
m uri v ia "l lfa ) et sc111i1:<1 c t ua c i n oquis 11111ltis: tn es Deus
qui f acis m ira bilfo . "~rh y r O,:'d is in the ~e~ , nnd 'l'hy paths
J

A 11 tographic Lif e, ch. XC II I.

~3G

FOUNDA'l'ION OF THE l'IIONASTERY OF GRENOBLE

337

are in the many waters; Thon art God, nTho dost wonders.m
She felt ber soul filled with admfration and confidence, and
was contemplating the Almighty 'Yisdom which, to attain
its me1ciful ends, knows how to make for Itself a road
through the midst of inundating waters of contradictions.
She says: "Ho,yever, so as not to appear insensible, I
prayed Y ou and Your holy l\fother, to turn Your eyes of
mercy upon us, for the Prior and onr Sisters 'vere in great
fear, lest they shonld perish in this deluge." 2
Humanly speaking, these fears were more than we11
founded. 1"'he water rose so high i hat the unfol'tnnate
eqnipnge ftoated. 'l"'he w01thy Mother relates: ""Fol' n
long time onr carriage was bo111e along and held up hy
Yom divine power. 'Yhen these pel'ils had ceased the
Pri01 and onr Sisters admired Yonr Providence over n~,
arnl believed that St. Ra plwel and a 11 Yom angels had been
onr mirnculous guides. 'Ye clrnnted the Tr Dcu m in thanlrngiving. " 3 'Yhat the veneni.hle l\fother cloes not mention,
but was well understood by her ti-aveling companions,
was that hel' confidence and p1'aye1s had no small pmt in
obtaining this miral'nlons assismce.
After l'nnning so many risks they arTiYed safe and
sonn d a t Grenoble, on 'yednesday, June 3, the vigil of
Co11nu.; Clnisti. To a ceede to the desires of l\fonsign01
who wished to bless them before they were cloistered in
their l'OllYent, the~~ got out at his })alace, although it was
nh,endy eight o'clock in the evening. r:rhe goocl Prelate
could not restrain his joy. He wished the eanonical esta blishment to be made the next dny, and as the proximity of
his departure for Paris did not permit bim to vreside iH
pel'son, he delegated l\L Bonffin to represent him. 'l"'he
pions Fonndress writes: " 'l1he next day on Your holy feast,
the Prior of Croixil saicl Mass and exposed the Blessed
Sncrament, and our 1elip;ions said the office in choir.''t
A~ there 'nts no m~tenso1inm or ciborium, the exposition
l'onld be made only in the tabernacle in whieh wel'e plneed
1Ps. LXXVI.
~.Autographie Life, ch. X C III .
3lbidem.
-!Autographie Life, cll. XCIII .

338

LIFE OU' JE.ANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

the large Host on the paten and the small ones in the
chalice. In the aftel'noon, aftei the chanting of vespers,
the celeb1ated Father Al'nonx gaye an exhortation at which
a nurne1ous congregation was lH'esent, for the ladies and
gentlemen of Grenoble wl10 were so eager to visit l\1other
de l\fatel, were not less so to wekome hel' danghters.
After the cel'emonies, Monsignor Scarron, who had not
been able, in spite of h; great desil'e, to go to h; new
monaster.r, sent bis caniage to bring the l\Iother Foundres~
to his place. He wished to speak to her before his depmtnre which was to take place the next day, at four o 'clock
in the morning. He iufonned her thnt the enemy of the
Incarnate Vord had again made maehina tions against His
work dnring her absence; and that he had attempted, but
in vain, to turn her Bishop against her y making certain
persons write to him not to trust her. He again assured
her of bis pate1nal deYote<lness and lffomised to co-operate
with the Chancellor to procure the lnompt establishment
of ber monaste1.v of Paris, and, on taking leaYe of he1,
wished he.r conntless blessings for herself and he1 danghters.
'rl1ese blessings of the chief Shephe1d bo1e fruit in the
infant conunmiity, and soon enriched. with a choice harvest,
the gl'anary of the heavenly Father. The new community
had seaicely been installed when a beantiful and intelligent g-1 of fifteen years, came in tears to conjure l\Iother
de )fatel to open to her the doors of her sanctuary. She
was named )fagdalen Dupr and belonged to a Pl'otestant
fnrnily who lrnd lwought her up in theiy sect. Trnth soon
dnwned in her soul and inspired her with sueh hwe that
i-;lte wishe<l withont <lelay to emhraee Catholicism and coni-;ec1ate lte1se1f in the 1eligions life.
To grnnt snclt n petition was not only to receive a sujed who wonld be a tinancial bnl'den to the monastery, as
~lagdalen would eel'tainly be diRinhel'ited, lmt was also to
take the 1d\: of the YPllge<tnce or the llngue11otfo;. But in
the ltcmt of thP goo<l ~fot-he1, tlie~e C'Olli-;ide1atiorn; could
110(- J>l'P\'ll OV(~] hPI' pity for the inteicRting child, 01 ove1
t Jtp <lei-;ilc iHi-;pi1e<l hy lier own zcal.
She l'PeeiYed ~1er.
\\?liell the 1elati\'PN of )fog<lalcn 1em11etl tlrnt shc had en-

FOUND~\_TIOX OF THE ~IOX.iSTERY OF GREXOBLE

339

tered a cloister) they 'yere in a fnry and threatened

to se'ize her and take her ont, no matter \Yhat this
might cost. Intimidations, supplications, and promises
we1e all tried, 'Yithout making her change her resolution.
X ot 1rnving sncceeded in shaking her resolve, they took
the affair befol'e the Parliament and dernanded its authorization to take her out by force . The Court, after exarnining the question, decided . on a course which was \ery
wise. I t decreed that a commission, half-Catholic: and
half-Hugnenot, named by itself, shonld go to the rnonastery, 'Yith the relatfres of the young girl, and that she should
appear before this assernbly and be interrogated on her
change of religion. After this, full liberty should be gfren
her to abjure her enor or to perseyere in it, to become
a religions or to return to the world. This deCl'ee caused
a great commotion in Grenoble. All the windows looking
clown on the place where the jnterrogatories were to be
taken, "Tere engaged by personages of the great est distinction.
At the hour appointed, an enormous crowd in " Thich the
Huguenots and their ministers predominated, iiwaclecl the
avenues leading to the conYent. )lagclalen, before going
out, obtained from )lother de )latel and the cornmissioners
a promise that the door wonld remain open dming all the
time of the interrogations. Strong in the blessing of the
saintl~T )lother and the prayers of her daughters, she enters
the arena. As she appears outside, her youth, beauty, and
modest self-re1ianee evoke from the crowd a murmur of
admiration. Her relatfres 0 ru~h upon her with . cries of
rage and tenderness. They are helcl back by the guards
who had escorted the commission. The jndges impose
silence. have Jfagdalen placed in the. middle of the encircling assembly, forbid any one to approach her, and the
in terroga tory commences.
The young heroine is far from being intimidated by all
this array and, as )lother de Bly relates, "she feels in
herself sueh light and strength that she is able to defy,
not only the heretics, but also the miserable troop of in-

340

LIFE OF JE.ANNE CHEZ.ARD DE l\l.ATEL

fcrnal sph-its with the woi-ld and the flesh.m For every
fp1Cstio11 and objection she hm; an 111swer which is' clear
mal frimnplrnnt. She gives 1easons for the faith that is
1 her, with snch precision that she shows mauifestly that
she is assisted by divine aid. Finally, in the preseuce of
that multitude of spcctators, she solcmnly abjures the heresy
in which she was born, and formally declares that it is
her will to live and die in the Roman Catholic Ohurch.
Yociferous menaces reply to these words. Magdalen's
relatives swear to set fire to the couvent if she goes back
]nto it. 'l"he commission silences this tumult aud declares
to the young neophyte tliat she will have full liberty, not
only to profess the Catholic religion, but also to embrace
the vocation she may choose, and that, whether she stays
in the world or shuts heiself p in a.' cloister, she will remain un der the protectiou of the Parliament. She replies:
"I desire nothing else but the happiness of consecrating
myself to the service of the Incarna te Vord in the monaste1y fro1 which I have jnst corne out by obedience." 2
Having said these words, she salutes the assembly and
})asses so rapidly ove1 the space which separates her from
her dear couvent, that her relatives who dart forward
to seize her, reach the cloister door only after i t has closed
hehincl her. She is followed by a storm of menaces, clamors~
am1 groans, but she is in the haven, returning than ks to
God who has given her victory and to the good Mother
who is 1nessing her to her heart.

.After the crowd had dispersed, one of l\Iagdalen's uncles

came to ask to speak to her at the grille. He appeared all
sweetness and made demonsfrations of great affection for
ber and placecl in bis bat hanclfnls of gold aud silver which
lie p1esented to her, while saying: "I know, my dear niece,
that yon have brongl~t to this house nothing but your own
dem self. no me the favor of inking all yon need, for
l offl1 it in pme love for you.'~ :l She saw this was a snare
m1<l ihauke<l him for his offer alH1 assnrcd him that she
11\fonns c ript l\f e mnir hy l\Tnt1H'r <l e Hly, eh. :XI.
2 fl>i<fom .
:l] hi d f' l1l .

J;"'OUNDATION OF' THE ~lONASTERY OF GRE~OBLE

341

would not be pel'lnittecl to lack anything. She judged

iight. After the failure of this :first artifice, others we1e
tried. Eve1y clay brought a new wile or a new assault.
An aunt who lwcl bronght ~Iagdalen up and cherished her
niece most tendel'ly, multipliecl ber attempts in concert with
Magdalen's eldest sister. But the comageous girl triumphed
over all.
-nrhen she was clothed in the holy livery of the Incarnate
\\T orcl, the assailants began to lose hope. Two years after
she had made her profession, the Divine Spouse granted
her the grace of gathering the fruits of her tears and sacrifices. Her sister and the aunt who had been a rnother
to ber, en ligh tened by grace, were the :first to recognize their
error, and embraced the Catholic religion which they had
so strongly attacked. Afterwards several other members
of the family \Yere con yertecl and chose to make their ab. jn_ration in the monaste1y chapel. Among the nnmber were
two young ladies who also implored the favor of being admitted as daughters of the Incarnate Word.
Their request was generously granted. In order not to
impose too great a bnrden upon the house of Grenoble
which had just been established, and likewise to take them
away from the incessant attacks which were made against
them, they \Yere sent to the house of Avignon, in wbich they
had a long and edifying career. As for l\Iagdalen, the fervor
of her prayers and immolations soon consumed the holocaust which she hacl macle of herself to obtain these consoling ieturns. After :five years of the religions life, she
went to receive the crown which had been merited
bv
her
.
"'
generous victories.
l\Iother de l\Iatel coulcl not long continue relishing the
joy procured to ber by the sigh t of this new sanctuary
erected for the glory of ber well-beloved Incarnate Word.
'rl1e state of ber h_e alth became alarming. The heat which
was excessive, increased her suffering every day. The physicians would not ai1s\Yer for ber life unless she immediately
\Yent to Lyons, to follow a rigid treatment. On the other
hancl, her friends in Pal'is nrgecl her to corne to that city

342

LIFE 011' JE .\NXE CHEZAnD DE l\L\TEL

to fou11d he1 thil'd

rnoua~tery.

~he

was t1rns forced to

thill k of her <lepal'ture and of confiding that infant family
to t11e Provide11ce of her tlem Spouse. ~rhe pain she felt
in abandonillg it ~o soon, was alleviated by the devotedness of the venc1ab1e Pri01 of C1oixil, ::\L de Bouffin, "'ho
1nomised hcr to take i11terest in all that co11cerned the welfare of the monasie1y. He kept his word so \Yell, that up
to his dcath, that i~, foi thirty years, he was its protector,
connse]o1, and fathe1, \Yithont eYer accepting any retribnti on f01 his se1vice~.
This virtuouR ecde:-;ia~tic, a brother of .)fodame de Revel,
was ienowued for snnctity iu all Grenoble. As soon as he
beemne ncquainted with .Mother de l\latel, he felt for her
the ine~d8tib1e attraction iusp.irecl in saints by the meeting
of souls "'ho ]ove God ardently. 'l'he heart of the de.vont
P1ior \n1s itself so inflamed with diviue lo,,e, that while
making exhortations to the Sisters on this snbject, he someti mes bec a me speechless.
l\_fother de B1y relates : " I was a hoarding pupil at
G1enob1e for fi ve years, and on severa] occasions I saw
him in an ecstasy while sflying 1\lass, so that his server
wns obljged to pull his alb, to make him C'Ome back to him~elf and finish the Holy Sacrifice.
'Ye eould not assist at
ltis Mass \vithout perceiving his fe1voi\ of which we spoke
with all the rno1e admiration, as this 1'1i01 had been most
playful with us, shortly before thus fasting God and His
Rw-eetness." Thus l\Iother de l\Iatel con1d feel great secu1ity in leaving the care of her daughters to the zeal and devotedness of this g1eat servaut of God. 'rhc1efore, nftcr
hming, on June RO, named Sister Tel'e;.;a of ~JeRns 8nJJe1i01e~s , and Siste1 .Jeanne of the PasRion A~~i~tant of her
monastery of Grenoble, she depal'tcd for Lyon~ whel'e 8he
anivNl on .Jnly ~' JG-13.
'1'11 e goo<l ::\lother, after her ich1111 to lier fami1y on the
hol y ::\l omit, took the re111edies deman<led by the acntc painR
f'1orn w1tie1t slte wn~ ~11ffe1ing, lrnt- at the ~ame tirnc ocenpiP<l l1e1~p]f witJt t-11e nffair of Pmi~. J-l(ll' friend8 in the
<tpit:tl we1<> ndive i11 lH1 helialf. 'l'lto:--;c inte1e;.;te<l i11 hcr

F'OUNDA'l'lON m~ 'l'HE ::.\IO~ AS'fERY OF GUEXOBLE

343

work counseled haste. It "'as feared that the enemies of

the Chancellor, w-ould cause the Seal8 to be taken away from
ltim nfter the deatlt of Louis XI II, which happened on
~lny 14.
)fr. de Servient, the nmbnssador to rrurin, announeed that )fr. Sguier was no longer Chancellor oiKeeper of the Seals, and that these two offices had been
given to 1f r. de Chatemmenf. The I ncarnnte \Yord impressed the heart of the 'Yortliy ~fother 'dth ~neh confidence in His not having rejeeted he1 supplications on
this matter, tltat slte assnred the ambassndor tltat notlting of the kind lwd taken place. "Rire, she said to him,
'".rom son and yonr <langhter have not been asked from
Heaven rnme confidingly than T ask from it the continuation of the Keeping of the Sea ls by )fr. Sgnier. Therefore I hope tltat HeaYen heanl me, in spite of my own
unworthiness." rrhe ambnssad01 iep1ied: --~Iadnme, it is
trne thnt I owe the health of nff
. chil<lren to vom hol r
praye1s, and f 1oye to believe that ~Ir. S~~:uie1 will continue to be Keeper of the Senls." 1 Tn fad, )fr. de Servient.
a short while before, lrnd heen wonnded in liis most tender
affeeiion~ and had corne to the good ~lothe1 to conjure
her to take pity on hi m and fo beg from God the enre of
Ids two children. For thirteen days the fever had kept
them nem death. 'rI1e tears of tlte afflicted father hnd moved
the heal't of the pions Foundress, nnd had dra wn from
her one of those prnyers which her DiYine Sponse lrnew
i10t how to resist. ~rhe little patients were restmed tu
health.
~rhe UiYiue )faster, not only did not lneak _Hi~ word,
but n1Ro renew,.ed the miracnlons 1)Iedge by whieh He 1w<l
responded to he1 prayers iu favor of ~Ir. St~guier. Here is
what she Rnid of thi~: ':Host dear Love, 'Yl10 take plemmre
in hearing Yonr lover nnd cmmot bear to see her tl'on bled,
on the next da y, hy sw'eetest odors Y on con fi rmed Yom
promise to me that )fr. Sgnier lwd ngnin re(eiYe<l the Real~
from the little King Lonis XIY :~ Tesfi1J1011ia tua crediiliu
, '-

I.e\ u tographi c Lif e , ch. XCIII.

~Ibidem.

344

LIFE OF JE.\.NNE CHEZARD DE J\IA'l'EL

jacta 81t nt ni mis. ' ~Your testimouies have been made exceedingly credible. '' 1
The event once more ve1ifietl what the good Mother had
fo1etold. l\fr. de Se1-yient and others snw for themselves
the power of her inte1cession and the reality of her supernatural lights.
l\lother de l\Iatel did not have long to wait to reap the
fruit of her prayers. l\fr. Sguier was continued in his offices,
and one of the first favors which he solicited from Amie
of Ausfria, who was Regent during the minority of her son,
was the aufo1ization to e1ect in the capital a monastery
of the lncainate 'Y01cl. He hacl no ouble in obtaining it,
as the Queen herself had alreacly manifested ber clesfre for
the Fonndrcss to corne and establish herself in Paris. 'l'herefore the letters patent were deliYered. Bnt this was not
the sole formality to be gone through and even the powei
of the Chancellor had to face many ill-,Yishers. Sorne traces
of these contradictions are found in the correspondence of
the good l\lother at that epoch, but her charity veils them
so discreetly that not one name of her adversaries has been
handed down to us, m1d her soul oppressed by these new
frials exhales nothing but the frngrance of swcetest lrnmili ty.
She writes to the Abbot of Cl's~r : "Since I am so impe1fect, I should not expeet anything bnt the contcmpt
which I merit and whfrh is not disagreenble to me, as I
adme Him who pe1mits this with equity. :\fy dear son,
if in Grenoble my danghters have enemies who are friemls
of Ood, and if in Lyons God Himself sends me bodily pnills,
doeN He do me au injustice by permitting or even pedinps
rnderi11g tha t in Paris I be blamed as n sinfnl womau ?
:\fy selfiNhne~s which engencle1s thonsmHlN and thonsmHls
of irn1w1-feetiollN, hmt~ me worse tlum all the tnlk tlrnt af fli<'tN yon . Let thern ~ay all they plea~e. I dese1ve t-lwt
they woul<l :-.; ;1y mo1e thm1 they <lo. A11<1 even if 1 wei-e
i 111to<'ell t, t hei 1 li ~u<l ~ayi 11gN won] d be all oetw~i oll ta ken
1

Ps. XClI, 5.

FOU:ND.ATIOX OF THE ~IOX~\.STEiff OF GilE~OBLI~

34:5

"by the Divine Good11ess to fayor me and to open Ilis meek

and pitying eyes to look on rny imperfections.'n
She does not rnake known what ~he ~utfel'ed m01e <..:leal'ly
than the pe1so11s who caused her to snffel'. IIowever, some
passages in ber lctters, seem to indicate that hp1 adversaries,
who saw that the.r conld not prevent the fonndation, since
it had been permitted by the Queen, schemed that she wonld
he pe1mitted to settle only in a snbmb of Pal'is. On Jm1e
22, she wrote to the Abbot of Crisy: "Yon are going throngh
the expe1ience of the Blessed Mother, as described by St.
Lnke, when she was consfrained to lay her Dauphin iH
the mange1: Et rcclinavit c1tm in praescpio quia non rrnt
cis locus in divcrsorio. .And she laid Him in the manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn." 2 Yon
also see verified the words of St. John: In j)ropria vcnit
.rt sui eum 1lon rcccpcrunt-. He came nnto His own and
His own receiyed Him not.'' 3 Bnt know from Him :. Quotquot
a utcni receper uu_t c um. de dit cis pot esta tr m fil ios Dei .f lcri.
"'Bnt as many as 1eceived Him, to them He gaYe the power
to become the sons of God." 4 All tlrnse ingratitudes cannot
snceeed in preven ting the design which Divine Love has of
making a new Incmnation. Although the Incarnate 'Vord
was put out of the City which was troubled at His coming,
He, nevertheless, fulfilled the prophecies. It was there that
He was named the King of those who did not want Him,
aJl(l tha t He was recognized as the true Son of God. If
we can be established in the faubourg Saint-Germain, this
will be according to my liking. If a honse cnnnot be purelwsed soon, one will have to be leased.'' 5 'rhis lm~t course
was decided upon. For about six months, Mothei; de l\fatel
had been receiving a kind of admonition concerning the
choice of this locality. In the year 1642, during the night
of N overn ber 17 and 18, in a dream she was in a fan bourg
of Paris. There she saw St. Denis arrayed in his pontifical
iLetter from Mother de l\'Iatel to the Abbot of Crisy dated Lyons.
July 28. 1643.
2Luke II, 7.
3John I, 11.
4John I, J 2.
0Letter from Mother de Matel to the Abbot of Crisy, dated Grenoble,
June 22, 1643.

3JG

LIFE OF

.JI~.\XXE

CHEZ.\IlD DE

~L\TEL

v0stments, followe<l hy a multitude of peovle aHd assistecl

.Among these she noticed
cspecially St. Peter, ~t. Panl, and St. )bu-tin. St. Paul
was telling St. Vcnis what to do in that solcmnity, in
01der to shmY himself the ue Hisho1) of Pmis. St. Paul
was likewise making )lother de ~Intel nuderst:li1d that shc
should take her I)lacc mnong the attendants of tlwt Prelate
'Yl10 was giying this magniticent IJOntifical welcome to the
g101.v of the Incanwte \Vord, becanse the time for His establishment in the faubourg Saint-Germain, was near at hand .
.A. s an ancient histmm says: ""'l"'his sulrnrb, at that time,
was the cesspool, not only of Paiis, but a lso of the whole
of France, and was nsed as headquarters by all the libertines, a theists, and others who l ived disol'Clerly lives." 1
'l"'here the Protestants wc1e 1rnmcrons and professed their
religion so pnblicly that it was nidrnamed Little Gcncva.
By locating, in the midst of this resort, the \ymk in which
eyerything rccalled His well-beloved Son .in whom He is
well please<l, God, \Vho wonld have spared the fiye eities
in consicleration of ten just men, was p1eparing foi the
regene1ating mission whieh He had eontided to M. Olier,
an element of success, the po,ye1 of which was known to
Jiim alone. Father Canli of the 01der .of St. Dominic
wrote to the Foun<lress: ""l am 1avished with joy at seeing, for the g101y of fiod and for om g1cat consolation,
the holy and ncw Order, all heaming with light, purity and
eharity, th us honol'ng om fan homg by its presence. I
offer you 1 advancc all the setvices which the servants
of Gocl in this housc can reude1 you, hoth hef'ore God and
bcfore men.m
T'hrongh the iuflue1He of th(~ Abbot of Cp1i:-;y, a house
sitnated in the faubourg Rai11t-Oe111rni11, wa~ Jpnsed i11 thP
namc of l\fothe1 de l\Iatel. Rhe received this news in a
letter from Fat-11e1 Can, dnted .J11ly 1G, in whid1 he wrote:
':\fy good au<l <lc>m <lnughte1, l'Orne io P"1i~ p1ornptly. Yon
will fi])(l l)PJ'P a hom:c laq.!,p1 mHl rn01c hcautifnl thm1 the

by a g1cat m1111 he1 of sa ill ts.

1Ab e lly , 1I c h. llT.

~ L ctt 0 r from F'atlwr (;nrr to Moth0r <le' l\fat0l, dntecl PariR, .Tuly
11 , 1 r, 4 :~ .

FOUND_\.TIOX O:E' THE l\IOX.'..STEUY OF GREXQBLE

3J7

Divine 'Yord had at His Incarnation. 'r11e chapel of Loretto

ha~ not one-twentieth of the room that the Incarnate -nrord
h as prepared for you in Paris. I say in Paris. sin ce the
city will soon take into its limits our own suburb, as it
bas already doue in the case of the snbmb of Saint-Honor.
To-day
I have seen yom lodoins
which will be ye1y
corn._
b
b

modions aud airy. 'l"hey have been well ~elected by the

Abhot of Crisy) who manages your business as if it 'yere
his own.
''Yesterday I saw the Lord Chancellor. Afte1 lrnving
eonverRed with him for some time, I thanked him for hon ol'ing you by bis favor. He said the follmving words:
~fothe1 de l\fatel is my friend whom I cherish and will
assist ber in everything.' I then told him of the sentiment~
T had eYer had towflrds yon. I lrnow that the Lord Chancel. .Jor and bis esteemed ~pouse, and the Abbot of Crisy have
great affection for yon. ~rhe Bishop of ~[etz is . overjoyed
at the prospect of your roming. n
The eminent religions was himself especially eager foi
her anival. He expresses this to her in terins which charm
by their humility, and shmY the measnre of the esteem in
which the worthy Foundres~ was beld by those who knew
ber the best. '' . . .\las, my good ehild, yon are coming here
in the time of my mn1 grent need of yon. I am on the point
of 1aying down the bnrden of Snperior. which I have been
eanying very unworthily since you left PariR, and I am
leaning on the hope that yon will help me by yonr holy
prayers and counsels to repafr the faults tbat I have eommitted dnl'ing my proviucialship. I shall try not to be
troublesome to yon, so that no one will be able to complain.
T shall take your time only when yon have nothing else to
do. Bnt thiR will be rmely. I commend to yon our
Xovitiate, that it mny })len~e the Inearnate "\Yorcl to givc
it His spil'itual arnl eternnl ble~sings and to grant to my
poor self the graee tu repair, y my penanccs, the fault~
which I luwe eommittetl b.'; m.Y negligences. I beg a favor.
On yonr way to yonr Lo1etto, cunld you stop to salnte
1Letter of July 16. 1G43 , frnm Father Carr to l\Iother e l\Iatel.

3:18

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

the Incarnate 'Yord in our church, and thank Him there

for the favors He has gJantcd ns t111ough you? I am pained
at your recommending yom~e]f to my fervor. I have neve1
bceu feivent. I am as cold as ice. You will do a good
w01k by praying the Incmnate 'Yord to warm me with
the fire which He came to cast upon the earth. 'Vith all
my heart I beg you for this. 1
~T. B. .ARREJ ,Jacobin/)
As everything lrn.d been prepared, letters we1e sent froni
the Chancery, urging the venerab1e ~fothcr to hasten her
de1mrtme from Lyons. Monsignor Scarron, who was still
at Pmis and was zealously promoting this affair, 01de1ed
his iepresentative to scnd to Lyon~~ two of the Siste1s of
Grenoble for the fonndation of Paris.
1\f. Bernardon was begged to go to Grenoble to" bring
back l\fother l\fary of the Roly Ghost and 1\fother 1\f. of
the Conception. On his arrival at the couvent, he finds
that the doors are closed and the Sisters absent. ~rhe pest
had broken out in the city and the Pri01 of Croixil had
ananged that his father, the Baron de Bouffin, would receive the litt1e commnnity in his home at Uriage, some
kilometres distant from Grenoble. 'rlrn11Ju; to this temJ>orar,v exile, the separation of the above nmned Sisters
was able to be made without any noise. 'rl1e 1\fother Foundress, to replace the two Siste1s who were called away,
sent with little Luc1etia de Bly, Sister Elias de la
Pcpinie1e, one of the seniors in the Congregatio11. Hcr m1iva l was 1novidentia1. IIcr remal'lrnble talent for teal'hing was destined to be a great help.
'rhc sojomn of the Sisters at Uriage was an irnpo1t<rnt
cvcnt in that locality. Al1 wished to see and hem thcrn.
'l'hc wol'thy 1\fotlH1~ <onshrntly spoke of things of snlvation
to ]H 1 1~on~ w1to~l1 viNii~ ihcy could not evadc, and they so011
pel'('PYP<l thnt iho~p ]>001' veoplc lind H CXil'PlllC ig1101'alll:C
of 1 pli;io11~ tJ 11ih~ llHl p1a<'tit<s. ..\s 1\fothc1 <le 13( 1.Y re l:li <~: ""rl'he1c W<11'P ~orne nged p<'HNlll f-:;;; who did not k11ow
the Our Villll<"r eithp1 in F1P11l'h or in T.. atin, and iherc wc1e
1

1Lett e r of

1~'t1lh er

Carr to l\Iother de l\latel , July 16, 1643 .

FOUNDA'l'ION OF THE MONASTEUY OU' GRENOBLE

349

others who had not been to confession for :fiftee.n or twenty

years, and had their hearts full of vindictiveness and spoke
of little but revenge.m
~rhe Sisters organized catechism classes in a large parlo1
of the house where the Prior said Mass. Rich and IJOOr
fiocked there from the Yillage and its vicinity, especially
on Sundays and holydays. The zeal of these pious l\Iothers
\Yas greatly blessed. Those poor people conceivecl such confidence in them that they made them the arbitrators of
their differences and abidecl by their clecisions. rrhe Sisters
induced them . to be reconciled with one another and to
make co11fessions of their whole lives. Swearing and lying
\Vere their predominant vices, for which the Siste1s ied
to inspire horror, and suceeeded so well that some corrected themselves completely and persevered in their conversion until death.
The fame of this success soon spread in Grenoble and
causecl all to long for the retnrn of the little community,
who likewise were cager to be back in their dear cloister.
As soon as the community came back, the foremost families
confided to it the education of their daughters. Lucretia
de Bly, then ten years of age, afterwards w1ote she had
had as companions of her own First Communion in the
school at Grenoble, Misses de Hevel, de Lionne, de SaintGermain, de Servient, Hodieux and others whose names
w"ere mnong the greateRt in Dauphiny, and also the daughter of the First President de Pignerol, I . ouiRe de Saurel
whom \Ye will meet later on, as the Superio1esR of the monastel'ies of Paris and Grenoble.
11\fanuscript Memoir by Mother de Bly, c h. XII .

CHAP~rEn

XX

F oundation of the Monastery ~f Paris

lG-!3-1644
~rhe arrival at J_,yons of l\fother l\fary of the Roly Ghost,
and Uothe1 l\f. of the Conception, pe1mitted the immediate ,
departure of Mother de l\fotel for Paris. "'th the help
of St. Anne, the worthy Foundress had recovered her health
snffieiently to sustain the fatigues of the jour1~y. On July 18 1
she w1ote to the Abbot of Crisy: BI have not been disap1>0inted in my hope of obtaining, by her intercession, the
gifts of grace for my soul and of health for my body, to
make me ready for the jonrney to Paris when her grandSon and grea t God slwll will thiR. She is too powe1ful wi th
Him, tl11ough the influence of her incomparable daughter,
to be iefused her requests, and He loves to grant the petitions presented to Him by the hands of that strong woman.''
On Augm~t 7, after having confided the care of the house
at Lyons to RiNter Helen Gibalin, she emb~wked for the capital, accornpanied by Pri01 Bernardon, Sister Elizabeth
(hasseteau, and Sister F1a11ces Gravier, her secretary.
As we have aheady seen, whenever l\fother de l\f a tel had
to quit her blessed retreat where the soil had been enriched
by the blood of martyrs, and th~ dew of Heaven descended
on her in su eh a bnndance, sadne~f-' invaded ber soul. This
;..;adness was now all the greater as ~he was exchnnging the
~weet veace of he1 solitude, foi the distradion~ and Re1vihHles of the ca1)itl. 8he said : " Dear Love, I desired that
the bloo<l whieh flowed and boiled on tha t h~)l~ l\Iount of
Gonl'guillon, 1 the dnys of so many mmtyrs, conld have followed rne ns fe water from the iock is said to ltnve fol]owPd t-he people of fa1a~l. Yon well snw ihat my f'onl was
;..;onowful frorn <herul of ilte g1<}at \\'Ol'ld. But aN 1hHl110
<lP:-;i1e exl'.ept to ~HTif_p myNelf fol' Yom glol'y \ll(l ilie Bllrn1 i011 of 111y 11eigl1h01, 1'"" l'e111e111hp1<._}d wlllt HL Ptnl :-;lid
to t.he l:OllllllN: U nu::;q111/ 1u e 1) ( ' S{ J'tfln pro.1i11w 8110 vluccut
350

FOUXDATIO~ OF 'J'HE ::.\IOXASTEiff OF PARIS

351

in uo11 u 1n ad ac di fi cati Il cm) etc n i 111 Cli ris t Ils u o Il si 7J i p 7ac u it.
"'Let eve1yone please his neighbor nnto good, to edification.
I~'or Ch1ist did not please Himself .'-'1
And 1 renounced the
pleasures I had enjoyed in solitude and the consolation of
my own soul on the holy Mon nt a t L.rons.'' 2
rrhis sacrifice of the venerable )lother reeeived an immediate recompem.;e in a special protedion dming he1
travels. '')lost dear Love," she relates, my repugnance at
leaving Lyons did not stop me on the wny. I stormed the
heav~ns, the earth and the waters, and I p1ayed Your angels
to lead ns in speed and in health, so thnt we might aITYC
at Paris on the day of the triumphant Assnmption of Your
glorious l\lother, so as to be able to cledicate to her our
enti-y and all that would follow it. )ly p1ayer was granted
contrary to the expectations of the boatmen. 'fhe Loire
was so low that they thought we would be stopped on the
sand bars. But, to their wonder, your holy angels made the
waters rise to sueh a height that the bontmen were aston ished at ~eeing this increase in their depth, w ithout any
rain having fallen on our course and "\Yithont any sign that
it had rained elsewhere. 'Ye stopped almost t"\YO days a t
Orleans. The coachman who droye us from Orleans to
Paris was amazed at arriYing early in the afternoon, on the
day of the Assumption, which was on 8aturday, after having
left Orleans late on Friday. He fearecl to be reprimanded
for having driYen too fast and went ont of his ioad to go
nemly all around Paris, "\Yhich we entered by the gate of
Saint-Honor. There wa~ then no bridge near the Louvre.m
As we have seen, the friends of )lother de :~\latel had
lmsied themselves to fincl a dwelling, for ber, and we do
not kno"~ hy wha t conjunctnre the little colony, on its arrjyal at Paris, could find an asylnm only in a sort of stable
which had been serving a~ temporary qnarters for animals.
'rhis occ1nTence gave to the my-stic bfrth which the Incarnate W'" ord then wished to receiYe from the saintly )fother,
n ne\Y featnre of resemblance to His birth at Bethlehem,
1 Rom,

XV, 2, 3.
2.--\utographic Life , ch. XCIII.
3Ibidem.

f3\ llihri.5

L IF'E OF' .J E~\..NNE

CHEZ~\.llD

DE :JI ATEL

ml(_l tlnew hcr soul i11to a transport of joy. She c1ies ont:
''King of kings, Lonl of lonls, sovereign Monarch of Henven
nu<l cmth, nlthongh several personages of great distinction
ha<l hecn eage1 to offer lodgings to Yom daughtc1s, Yom
P1m"idence <lesil'e<l that, on the evening of -our ~nrival nt
Paiis, we should fiud no 1oom, so that we conld say in
Rome manner: Non crnt ris locus i Il d ivcrsorio. "There was
no ioom for them in the inn.''1 And t.r a happy necessity,
that fst night we laid down in a smnll room which wns
lower than the pavemellt of the street. If it hnd not had
a chinmey, it wonld have been more properly called a statle,
n~ it wns at that time the abode of seve1al domestic animals.
l entered it with unspeakatle joy as it reminded me that
Yum holy l\lother and ber dear spo-l1se St. Joseph were
\v01se lodged on the night of Your holy Nativity, and tlrnt
thiB attracted the angels of Heaven to corne and sing Yonr
friumph over the glory of the world and the vain peiishatle
riches of the emth, and to praise the trne glory of Your
DiYine Father in the highest heavens. and to admire the
pence which you t1011ght on earth to yonr holy :\Iothe1,
8t ..Joseph, and all men of good will.'n
At the reqnest of Father Carr, Mother de l\Iatel stopped
to salute the Incmna te 'Yord in the chnreh of the c01went
of the Dominieans. Immediately the good father had snpper taken to the new commnnity, and came to visit it in
its little retreat. An hour Inter, the Abbot of C1isy came,
hy tmchlight, to bl'ing them the welcomes of the Chancellor
and his wife. As it wns lnte, his stny wns brief. He enme
hack eal'ly the next mol'ning, accompaniell ty the 11.,ather
P1ocnrntor of the AblJey of Saint-Germnin.
'rhe ~nlm1t of that name, althongh sitnated in the ontski 1tR of rmi~, WHS n11der the jmisdiction of the Bi~hop
of -L\letr,, who WHR AhlJot of Saint-Germain and I .. ol'd of' the
:..:nlrn1h. The P1i01f4 of the Abbey were cx-officio, Vicars
Ge11p1n J. l 11 vi1t11e of these powe1s, Dom H1achet delegated
1-l1e V,athc1 P1ocmat01 to ha11t1 to the~ Fom1d1eRR the b1evet
of 1\forndg11or of ~f etr,, :md to assmc ht 1 of the kind re1

lLuke IT, 7.
21\ 11tn g-r:i phic Li fr , ch. XCIV.

FOUXD .:\TIO~ OF THE :\IOXASTEilY OF PARIS

353

garcls of that Prela te, " -ho was r.r-officio the hnmediate
Snpe1ior of the new mo11a~te1y. The ltiters lmtent of the
King were then likewise cleliYel'ed to her.
On a little alu whid1 had been pl'evaied, the Abbot of
Crisy said )Jass and ga Ye H oly Comnnmion to the Sisters.
'Yhi1st the saintl~T .:\lother is ponring into the heart of the
Incainate 'Yorcl, her cleep thanks for the happy beginnings
of this fonnclation, this Divine Savio1 appeared to her in
the mms of His Blessed Jfother. " . . ith infinite. gracionsness
He hands her two golden ke~T s and says: )ly clanghter,
receiYe the keys to nnlock heal'ts. ~
'rhen allncling to the
place in which the monaste1y is established and to the Saint
whose feast fell on that day, He adcls : ~ As St. Hyacinth
canied .:\ly hol~- "Jfother and "Jiyself to sm-e es from Our
enemies, saye )Je from those who perseente :\le by their
malice and the torrent of their ex(:esses. "~ The Incarnate
orcl destines the monastery and its Founclress for this
special mission of expiation and redemvtion. Snt11 works
are accomplished only through the cross.
In the afternoon, Father Carr notifiecl .:\Iother de .:\fatel
that the Dnehess de la Rochegnyon was sending her carriage to take the )Jother to the hotel of the Dnchess. She
was desirous of giYing lodging to the little community
until the completion of the repairs necessary in the house
which had been leasecl. As the reader may remember, this
noble lad3,. had supplied all the needs of )lother de )latel
cluring the years of her first sojourn in Paris, and had
offerecl to be the financial founclress of the ne'Y . eonvent.
".,.hen the time came to cletermine the elauses of the contract, the Duchess had exacted conditions which the worthy
)lother could not accept. Father Carr ''Tote: ~she gives
you onl3- fourteen thousand livres of capital "-hich yielcls,
according to the rates of ~ ormandy, only one thousand
livres of income, and she wishes that yon receive in perpetuity two girls for nothing. I told her yesterclay that
1

"T

1Autograph i c Lif e. ch. X C IV.

2Ibid e m.

354

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.\.RD DE MATEL

this Slllll S very }jttle. f g\'C yon thi:-; iufo1matio11 ll COllfidcnce, ~o that yon may sec what God 1svire~ yon to do.
As for rnyself, I can chaw llO condn:-;ion."
Although the difticnlty was serion~, it <ll not tronl>le
the humble l\fothcr. She found a "a~ ont of it by leaviug
to l\fadmne de Rocheguyon the title of I1.,oundress, and by
heiself makillg up the deficit for the founda tion. 'rl1e
Dnchess exacted for her two subjects, distinctious to whid1
.Mother de Matel could not consent. Aheady on A1nil 5,
1G4-3, she had written to the Al>bot of Crisy from Grenoble:
':Madame de la Rocheguyon demm1ds that _the two snbjects
whom she wishes us to receive, shall always bear the names
of Daughters of the Fonndation and shall be distingnished
from the others by a reliqnary and rosary. ~rhis wonld be
a singularity which wonld be very <langerons for the Order.
and which even for a thousand crmn1s I would neve1 grant,
on account of the envy or the contempt whid1 it wonld
arouse.'n
Mother de l\fatel preferred to the sumptuous hospitality
offered by the Duchess, the incouveniences of her own more
humble abode. A residenee in the centre of Paris will b1ing
to ber visits from which difanee will defend her in lier ow11
snbnrb. As she will not be cloistered, she will be forced to
retnrn many of these visits. And in the present circnmstances, how painful her position with regard to )[adame
de la Rocheguyon. However, recognition for ber previons
services prevailed over every other consideration. Rhe
acqniesced in her desi rcs.
AH that the l\Iother had foreseen actnally hnppened.
Rhc hn to go ont to offe1 ber thank~ to the Qneen, who
ha<l favored he1 e~tal>liRhment nnd exp1essed a deRire to
sec her; then to the vi rtuonR Dnchess of Orleans; th en to
the Chancellor m1d other personages of the highcst rm1k.
lThe two most rec e nt lliogr;iph crs of Mother de l\fat e l, Prince
GaJ itzin a.nd C:1non Penaud, s1wnk also of a hlu e riblrnn from which
w n s t o be sus p e n de d th c m e <I a ll ion or r c l i qua r y vv it h w 11i ch the
Duchess wished to decorate the D:n1g-htC'n:i of the Fonndntion. \Ve
tind no mention of this in th<' do c um e nts in our poss ess ion. But thes e
a.11thors rnay have lrnd access to others. Ther e a1e ex tant sorne in
th0 dep:1rtment:il n1Hl nntionnl arf'hi\c:;.; to which they were co nsignecl
<1111 ing 1ll0 Grr:-.t Re\olutinn.

FOUXD~\.TIO~ OF THE l\IO~ASTEUY OF PARIS

355

She had to -receive numerous and frequent visitors. But

above all, she had to ~mffer the pain, cluring the two months
and a half passed at the hotel de la Rochegnyon, of not
being able to induce her benefactress to swe1ve from her
unaeceptable claims or to prevail upon her to receive in
<:ornpeusation for her benefactions the privileges of Foundtess or some . indemnity.
1 n the afflict ion of her grateful soul , the venerable
:Hother hacl recourse to God YVho possessed, among His
heasures, the means of paying all debts. She tlrns describes
her distress: She loclged and supported us with great
chmity. ::\Iy DiYine Lffve, if it so please You, make her an
ample return for this and recognize, accordiug to Yonr
promise, all that she did for the least of Your claughte1s.
\Ye beg in all humility this favor from You .
Yon know what mortification my soul suffered at not
'being able to accept the conditions which she demanded.
Rhe would not accept my offer to repay "~hat she had spent
on us. ::\1y Divine IJ01d, T again beg Yon to rewaid her
a lrnndredfold and to g'i"rn her life everlasting.m
Xbe transformation into a couvent of the place that
lwd been leased bad advanced far enough for it to be occlpied at the end of October. The communit~? moved into it
on the vigil of All Saint:-:, and the next day, whicb \vas
Xovember 1, lG-!~~, Dom Braehet, the Prior of the Abbey,
eame to bles8 the little church which had beeu built and to
say the first 3Iass in it.
At this moment, the question which was of such concern
to the venerable ::\Iother, again arose. Several p~rsonages
who desfred to luwe her with themselves as long as possible
iu the monastery of Paris, urged her to take the religions
habit there. 'I'his was her own desire. 8he longed more
than anyone else, to be clothecl in the holy live1y which the
Incarnate \Yo1d had giYen to he1, and of which He lrnd
rPn~ aled to her th e full Yalue.
On the othel' hnnd, the
reasons which had obliged her to depl"ive her~elf of this
eonsolation at the time of the foundiug of her first mon 1A ut o grap hi c Lif e, c h . X C IV.

356

LIFE OF

JE~\.NNE

CHEZ.AUD DE

~IATEL

aste1y, still existed. She did not wiRh to follow her ow11
inclinations or to be inflnenced by an.'r lrnman considerations whatsoeve1, but only to aceomplish the will of God;
the1efore, she addressed hel'self to hei diYine Oracle. YVith
a heart ready to execute Hi~ 01ders, Rhe asks Him what
He wishes her to do. He I'eplie~ to hel': "My daughter,
take no hasty step. ~rlwu canst say to those who are nrging thee, that Saul, by not haviug waited foi ~Ty prophet
Samuel, did a thing which displeased )le. I t did not matter that he thought he "rould rende1 ~Te propitious to his
prayers lJ~r his holocanst; the prophet said to him: 8tulte
cyisti. '' thon hast acted like a fool.m 'rl1y 'throne shall be
givcn to another who will be more faithfnl and more punctually obedient to the divine will. My danghter, wait for
l\f,v orders and do nothing from lmman respect. Homo cni ut
1iidct ca quao parent. Do111i11Hs intuctur cor. "l\fan sees
appearances. God looks a t the heart. " 2 ''0 my Savior and
my Love, replied the pions l\fothe1, I wish on ly Yom g:lo1y.
"Thnt is not Yon, is nothing. Yonr .Apostle sa id, If I seek
to please men, I am not the sernu1 t of J esns Christ.' I
shall do what my direetor orders, acco1ding to Yonr will." 3
. To secnre herself from ilhudon in snch a g1ave matter,
)Iother de ~Iatel snlnnitted her ease to those who had the
mission to make known to her the will of God. 'rl1e Abbot
of Crisy, who had jnst been appointed delegate Snperior
of the monm~te1y, Father Carr-, hel' actnal diredor, and
several ~Jesuit Father~, who had been her former diredors
and were then in Paril4, were u11animon~ in cJetiding that
she shonld still defer binding hel'self to the reldon~ ~tate,
e~pedally on atl'Olmt of her Congregation at Lyo11s which
had to be Rnstained and nfte1wards endowed when the time
would corne to e1ect it into a monaster~' .
Iu what a ~orrowfnl arnl extraordiw11y way thi:--; decision
of God arnl men plneed tlte Fonud1e~:--; ! l\Im1y will be
l1li:tz(_<l :i1Hl will hlmue nrnl de1icle l\Ioihc1 de l\'latcl, m1d
will ~l." 111d ~he i:--; lik(_~ th( hell tlitt etllN to dtmTh and
11 King-s, X lfl. 13.

:n Kings. XVI, 7.

:i.A utograpl!ic Life, c h. XCY .

li'OUNDXl'lON 011' 'I'HE l\IONAS'l'ERY OF PARIS

357

does not go there; that Rhe is like the notary who binds
others b,v con tracts and does not bind himself; that she is
like those who, in the time of Noah, lmilt the Ark, but
did not go into it, etc.
These contradictions will not be on ly passing, but will
last for years, during \Yhich the eourage of the poor l\fother
will be almost exhausted. If she had been led by lrnman
motives and had not conformed to all the desires of God,
she could have easily stopped these eomplaints and satisfied
her own longings, by taking the habit for which she cherished such love. But she was never 'Yilling to deprive herself of the diYine guidm1ee. 'Yhen angn;h oppssed her
soul, she went to her dear Love, to pour her sonow into
His heart, and He always responded consolingly, and
asserted His absolute wish that she would remain in that
state which was outwardly secular.
'Yhen one compares the trials by which the life of the
venerable l\Iother was eon smned, with the consolations by
whieh Our Lord Rustained her courage, there is seen, in an
admirable light, the magnificence of the divine plan. It
beeomes manifest that if 011r L01d did not wish her to
appear exteriorly as a Religions of the Incarnate 'Vord,
He wished her to be one interiorly in a more excellent manner than any one else. Not the vdble sign, but the invisible
realit,v, W'"as her destined portion. ~rhe white and red habit
of the Religions of the Incarnate 'Yonl is to them a precious
reminder of the pains and humiliations of their Spouse, but
it is not a cau~e of suffering and ignominy to them as it
was to Him. The white robe recalls to them that which
Herod placed on Him in mockery, and teaches the1i1 to love
humiliation and eontempt; bnt it is a glory to them to wear
it. The rcd srapulnr recalls to them His gory cross which
they shonld ehcrish ~ lmt to them it is a yoke that is sweet.
And the mantle whieh they receiYe in memor,v of Ris deris01y lHll'ple, is to them a cloak of honor and benediction.
~Iother de l\la tel was ea lled to a rcsemlllance whieh was
more pe1fect. In the eyes of men, that habit was to be
for her what it was for J esus, a cause of suffering and

358

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAHD DE i\IATEL

sharne. Refore the e;yes of God, she was to put on ~Tesus

Christ in a way in which none of her danghters would ever
!Je clothed with Him. As this adorable 'Vord loved to repeat
to her, He wished to make her a mintcle of love) and indeed
a miracle Ro aRtoniRhing that men 01 even the Blessed in
HeaYen wonld not be able to comprehend it.
But let nR hear Our l.iord HimRelf assel'ting these truths.
One day nR He wns lavishing His g1aees and tendernesses on
the good ~Iother, she a11mYed herself to tell Him confidingly
the confradictions raised against her by her being deprived
of the religions habit. He reJJliecl: '~~fy daughter, I bave
bronght thee into the world as a proverb and enigma which
me11 cannot nndeJstand by their weak nson. 'They look
only at the exterio1. 'rhey gave to J olm the Baptist, who
appemed ste1Jl and mortifie, the atfribntes of the :M essins
which were esRential1y due to ~[yself, and they considered it
blasphemy foi Me to ean ~f.n.;elf the Ron of God; they said
that I 0111y imagined ~f.n.;elf to lJe a king and God, and that
1 save<l others lJnt could not s:we ~fyself.'' 1
On another oceaRion, dnl'ng he1 ihnnksgiYing after a
fervent Comnnmion, she was Jost in admiration at the exces:-:ive goodnesRes of God to he1, when. as she relates: "You
made me know that these wornle1s were indeed so admirable
that, in Henve11, a11 the Blessed were astonished while contemplating thefr ]Hofusion, and that I appeared an enigma
to them as well as to men, beenuse lJoth saw my imperfections, for whieh I always felt a~hamed i11 the p1esenee of
Your l>iville Jfnjesty.
' ~fy

anghte1,'' Yon iheu adde<l. f told thee many ycm:-;

ngo, that thon n1t the mfrae1e of ~f.r love, and I tell thee
11ow t lrn t ilion n1t ihc book :-;(lnle<l with the scven seals, which
no 011P e:rn opPH 01 1e:t<l hnt the Lamh W'ho wns i-;lain for thee.
'Phi~ book i:-; "1itt<'ll i11tp1iol'ly hy ::\ly wi:-;<lorn, and eontnirn.;
wrn:ld lnit- rny:-;te1i< 1 ~ . 11 i:-; :t mystp1i011s . . \p<wn1ypRc which
1 rn:tk<> wilh lhtP :nH1 in JIH'P. 11 i:-; w1ith11 extp1i01ly hy
iJ1y ontw;u'<l ndi011:-; w11l'.h 111<.'11 t(tllltot rea<l 01 iute1pret.
L \ut ograph ic L if(' , c h. C \'IIL.

FOUNDATIO~ OF 'l' IIJ<J ::.\IONASTEUY OF PJ.. RIS

I~ol'

35!)

this there wonld be need of a nnuiel \Yth the spirit of

the Pathe1 all(l the Ron. )ly denr (lm1~hter, it is I \Vho
(\]l} the illtel'JH'ete1 or 0111 rnyste1ies. " l
A little later nN she waN sighing in he1 snnl at not being
<tble, like her danghte1s, to lll'(~Hk eompletely with the world,
hy the ieligions habit and ]Jl'Ofession, he1 good )[aster said
to her: ""~ly demest one, do uot disfress thysel f. 1-"'hou art
clothed with )Iy B lood, as I have often aheady told thee.
'l"'hou ayt interiol'ly clothed with thy crucifiecl J esus. I wme
the \Yhite garment only dming the time when I was sent
back by Herod to Pilate, and the mantle of purple only while
appearing as the )lm1 of Sonows, 'Yl10 offered Himself to
His Eternal Father for the sa1Yation of men. \\'hile the people were c1ying ont: Crneify Him ! Crueify Him !' Therefon_l, do not distress thyNelf if thon wear the white and red
}wbit only a short while, to Nhow that thon art she who, by
::\fy plan, has macle )fe knmYn to the world and given )fe to
-:\Iy danghters, who are also thy own, \\'ho have wo1n it in
the past, wear it at present, and will wear it in the future." 2
W'"as it giyen to the vene1able )fothe1 to compreheud full.v
how literally we1e to be aecomplished these words of the
d iYine Oracle, and how abNolnte was to he, in this, her resemblanee to Him '? W'"e knmv not. But this was the sweet
seci-et of the enigma whieh IIe had jnst uttered, and this
was the veil which He hnd now 1nised before her eyes. As
we shall see f01 om~elvcs ouly when she shall receive the
last touches of the 1esembln11ce with the 1lan of Sorrows,
her DiYine Sponse, and, only at the moment of consummating he1 sacrifice, shall the white iob.e and the iecl mantle be
given to ber. But it is nseless to antieipate. The sequel
itself will confm the fruth of he1 sonowfnl Yocation. The
greater part of the consolations with whfrh she was fayorecl
at th; epoch, were designed to alleviate its 1minfulness.
Six days after the installation in her monastery, on the
vigil of the feast of St. Martin, for whom her soul felt a
speci al deyotion, Our Lord p1aises ber befo1e His an gels, for
having cleprived he1se1f of His habit of honor. in order to
1A utographic Life, ch. CX.

2Ibidem CXXVIII.

3()0

LIFE OF JEAN:NE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

elothe he1 dnnghters, as fo1mel'ly :Mmtin, still a catcehnmen,

l4ae1ificcd half of hiR elonk to l'.OYer a poor naked beggar.
Bnt 11othi11g can replace the 1e and undion of her own
wm'<l~. l.id nR hcar her descrihe th is gT<H_
e, wh ile ~he is still
in a trnnRport: '"Father of Light, Yon diviHely macle me
knmv that St. Martin, whose first veRpers the Church lwd
jnst said, is one of Your favorites nmong Your saints. You
slwwered dowu upon him Yonr enedictions and predestined
him in Yonr love to become conformed to the image of Your
goodneRs \Ylio is Your well-beloved Son, the figure of Yonr
snbstanee and the splenclor of Yonr glory, into "~hich He
was transformed.
\Yhile I was admfriug this Pontiff clothed in light, nnd
coutemplating this saint all aglow with a fire that was more
than seraphic, my soul was enraptured strongly and sweetly,
and I heard: 'Francis is the figure of the sacred lrnmanity
of the Divine Sponse, aud Martin is the figure of the divinity
of the \Yord made flesh. Both 14i Pl)ed themsel ves, on ea rth,
for the sake of Divine Love, and both entered IIeaven, en1iehed and honored by the angelic choirs, and gl01ified by
ihe ROYereign God wrho is wondel'ful in His Ral1ts.' \Yhile
1 waR eo118le1ing this glo1ious Pontiff clothed in the divine
light~ and flmnes, I myself was all illmuined and I participated in his glory and slrnred in his joy with all the angels.
And it pleasecl You, 0 my DiYine Spouse, to make Your
angels hear these "\Yords wol'thy of Your beneficent love:
'Formerly I said to you that Martin who was yet only a
cateclrnmen hacl clothed Me with tlte half of llis cloak. Now
I tell you that this dear daugltter of l\fine has clothed :Me
in all of her danghters whom she has assiNted and has made
religions, and that she dcp1ives herself of her habit of hono1,
for My love and glory. I glmify l\fyself 1n her giving l\fe
herself in her daughters. I glndly accept thel4e garmcnts of
l\fy Order which iepresent to l\le thm;e wh ich I :Myself wore.
I gladly acccpt all the monastcries whfrh ~he iR - fonnding
for l\Ie. I fake plcaRme iI1 ieceiviug from he1 hm1ds and
from her h('art, fc gi ftN which she presents to l\fc and
1etm11~ to nie, :l,R havi11g hPPll gV('ll to he1 hy )[y lllORt Wise

FOUXD.A1'IOX OF THE ::.\IONASTEilY OF PAilIS

361

Providence. If I prize so highly the half of a cloak giYen to

)Ie by a eateclmmen, ho" highl.-v will I not prize all that
1\Iy Spouse giYes Me? )ly daughter, liave no fear of all of
the powers of men. I am your sfrength and your rewmd
exceeclingly great.'
"Dear Lord/' adds the 'vorth.-v ~lother, "'who would not be
overwhelmed and transported by these testimonials of loYe
of God for His creature 'vl10 is olily what Your charitable
goodness makes her '. 1 ffr,1e Lo,e, i t is only from the ble~s
ings which Yon liave gi,en me nnd which Yon continue to
gi \'e me every day, that I nonrish and sustain Your spouses.
Your gooclness cover~ me \Yi th nnuttera ble confusion when
Yon say to me that I elothe them with gaimellts which are
beautiful ancl good. and that I cover myself with the meanest that I can :find. God of my heart, 'Yl10 d\velb in the
. highest heaYens. do Yon lleign to look down on the meanest
of Your handmaids when she cuvers herself with her iags?
1'he prophet King assures me of this loving goodness when
he says :~ Quis sicut Dom in us Deus noster qui in altis lwbitat et humilia rcspicit in coelo et ill terra? "\Yho is like the
L01d our God \'\. . ho d \Yelleth on high, arnl looketh dmvn on
the low things in Heaven and on enrth ?" 3
~orne dnys Inter. on :X ovemher ~7. the feast of St. Cecifia,
the goocl 1laster, alluding to the eonsecration of that Saint's
house as a chnrch. sa id to her: ~ly claughter. 1ly spouse,
from thy poverty thon hast bnilt for ~le a new church. Thy
habits aie frag1ant with )[y good odor. Thou sparest
nothing su as to be able to giYe to )fe. rri10u lowerest thyself
in order to exalt )le.'' In her amazement she exclnims:
"'Dear Lord, can nothing lower itself and eau supreme grandeur be exalted ! Permit me to say about Yon: Deus meus
es tu quoniarn bonorum meontm llOJl egcs. 4 I haYe said to
the Lol'd, Thou art my Gocl, for rI'hou hast no need of my
goods: Ro\Y happy I would be, if I could liYe and die for
1\Yritings of :i\Iother de :i\Iat e l. Yol. II.
::?Ps. CXII , 5.

s Autographic Life, cb. XCY.

4Ps. XV, 2.

362

LIFE OF

JEAN~E

CHEZ.AUD DE l\1ATEL

You like St. Cecilia, and if Yon did me the favor, which Yon
clid for ber, of carrying in my nnde1stancling and laying up
in my heal't Yonr gospel of light and love ~
These repeated dhTine testirnonials did not al ways sncceed in assnaging the vain of the poor ~fother's sacrifices.
'rhe :first Sunday of Advent finds her in snch a state of disti-ess and op1H'ession tlwt she eannot bear it and goes to the
choir to seek aid from ber Beloved. On the way she meets
he1 dem daughter, Elizabeth G1assetean, and begs her p1aye1s. On reaching the foot of the altar she said to Our I.01d:
"" Dem Love, I cmrnot stand this any longer. ~ly soul i~
oppressed with wealmess and weariness. Please snstnin me
miel p1ay to Your Father for the feeblest of Yom lovers. I
a ban don rnysclf to Yonr chnl'ty. I feel that l shall give up,
if Y on do not snpp01t me. " 2
At thh" c1y of distress, .Jesus bastens to her, and, opening the mms of His tende1Hess, tnkes her into them with
sneh love that soon confidence, consolation, and joy innndate
her. As she relates: '"l arose from prayer like one who had
l'Orne ont of the <lmk and had een plncecl in wondrous light.
1 was able to say like AnHa, the mother of Samuel: 'It is
the Lord thnt takes away life and gives it, who tnkes down
to hell a])(} blings np from it ~ T aga in met Sister I1Jlizabeth
Orasf'eteHn and I asked he1 if she had prayed for me. She
rcplied: 1 <li(l so, with great compasf'iou at the begi1ming of
my 1nayer, and 'dth great wondtr at its close.' m
The ve11e1able Riste1 had semcely begnn to pray when in
spirit she saw the Fonndress ove1whelmed 'Yith aHgnish.
Near her, the Tncarnate \Yonl at the age of thirty-the
yem:"', was in the attitude of p1aye1 n.nd waR looking npon
her with eyes of pity and love. 'Paking hc1 in His arms and
])]'es:-;i11; lier to llis heal't, lie 1ni;.;p<1 Hi:... e.n~:-; to His Father
m1<1 p1aye<l f01 lu_1 i11 a rnmrn e1 thnt if' lleffnhle, and dnring
llis ]mtyp1 shP, in hl 1 SP<'nl<n <11esi-;, wns J'tti;.;e<l np on a
;101io11s 1-It1onP. 'rhis g1ettly mnazed the Ri:-;te1 who ha<l
~(en lie1 -'I otli l 1 tnrnNpo1kd f'1 om Ct l'th t o Ilean~n wi th out
1

L \utograpllk Life, <:h. XCV.

:. ! lliicl c m.
:i Jbicl c m .

FOU~DXrIO:.\'" OF THE ::uo ~ASTEil OF P.\IlIS

368

passing through any intermediate space. W' th the eyes of

he1 own soul she lrnd contemplated " 'liat lrnd taken place in
the soul of ~lother de l\Iatel, ~ and hnd seen how J esus responded to her cry of pain. The pions Fonncfress says: " She
saw the Yisible sign of the iI1vdble thing. This mystery or
sacrament of love is 1mspeaka ble. " 1
All unspeakable ns is this myste1y, it is not absolutely
impenetrable. And if the altitude and a cts of the Incarnate
\Yord marked the aid which He lent to His dear spouse, the
glory to which He inised her in her secular dress, 'vas also
a new apin-obation given by Him, to th e decision which she
had lately made according to His orde1s. Shortly afterwards,
on Derember 1 S, 1 G-1-:3, feast of the Expectation of the Blessed
Yirgin, He seemecl to make, ns it were, a mystic conseqatj on of this manner of life. 'l1he ]lother sn,p~ : ' 3ly spl'i t
was elevated so high tlrnt it seemed to be more i.n Heaven
than on earth. In a way whid1 I ennnot dese1ibe, I heard
the words: Urbs .J cnt8u l('JJ1 bcata dicta pacis visio. 2 " The
city of ~T ernsalem cnlled the blessed yif.;ion of peace. ~' And
Yon let me nnderstand that Yonr goodness was making a
new dedication of Yom new J ernsalem, and Yon made me
enjoy a peace approadiing that of the Blessed. But this was
only pnssing, beca use, in this valley of tears, the soul enjoys
felicity onl~,. pcr modwn transr1111tis. ""after the manner of
a transient visitor.' ' 3
This ne"' and interio1 de<lica t ion was to have its exterior
manifestation. 'l1he work ieqnired for the final establishment of the cloister had been eornpleted. On December 31,
1643, the P1ior of the Abbey, in the name of the Bishop of
3Ietz, Lord of the faubourg, signed the contract, by which
Jiother de Matel, as the im1ty of the first part, assured to
her daughteis of Paris one thornmnd li yies of in corne, a habitation, and approp1iate equipment; and the major snperiors,
as the imrty of the second pait, recognized hcr title and privileges as Fonndress.
1Autographic Lif e. ch. XCV.

20 ffi ce for the d e cli cati on of a clrnrch.

3Autographic Life, c h . XCV.

364

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE M:ATEL

'rhe next dny, .J annary 1, J G44, Dom Brachet came with

the P1ocurator of the Abbey, to proceed to the canonical
e1eetion of the new m01iaste1y. He celebrated the Roly Sacrifice, blessed the vroperty, planted the cross, and declared
the c_]oister to be hencefo1th obligatory. He afterwards
tnrned to the Foundress and begged her to assume the spiritual and temporal administration of the monastery, and she
signified her acceptance of this office.
After this ceremony, at 'vhich several personages of high
rank assisted, the Abbot of Crisy, as Superior, and Father
Can, as director of the worthy l\lother, blessed a veil, a
white robe, and a red scapnlar, for her to wear under her
secular dress until the affaI's of the Order would permit her
to bind herself by the holy profession. She 'vas invested
with them in the sacristy, in the presence of her daughters
and some boarding pupils. This mitigation of her privations
was likewise an official approval given to her final determination.1
Rut still all this did not notaly lessen the extent of the
venerable l\iother's sacrifice. T'lnu~, while the Father Prior
was placing the cross on the door of the chapel, the virtuous Sister Elizabeth Grassetean saw J esus planting a cross
in the middle of the heait of the Fonndress to establish
the1e, an interior monastery. Indeed that was a most painfnl cross which made her, in her soul, more of a religions
than all those foi whom she was to procure the happiness
of becoming ieligious, and which yct, in the eyes of individnals who 've1c ignorant of these mysteries of grae, placed
her in a position which was enigmatical and censurable, and
]eft her m1del' the weight of cares and responsibilities from
whfrh shc 'vonld have been relieved by the religions profession. The worthy l\fother received this cross as only the
l\Ve read in the clocuments 1e ft us by Mother cle Bly: "From
the foun<1ing of the Monastery of Paris. on Ja.nua.ry 1. 1644, Mother
<l e Ma1e1 wore the little habit of the Orcler, under a secular dress
w h kh consisted of a simple ma,n tle of black serge with long sle e ves.
nnd a gown of the sa.me co lor which coverecl the white gown and red
scapulnr receiv e from the hancls of l\'I. Hahert. the Abbot of C'risy,
811r1el'ior of the monastery o f Paris. She wore a1so a coiffure which
i;;llow0<l wl1at little co nsi<lcration ~h<' lw<l for tll e opinions of men:
: 1 lincn co1n0U0 an n, white ]);111<1 which concc:11e<1 lier hair ancl even
her cye hrows, nn<l a.hove U1 esc a C'l'e1rn an<l a coif of hlnck tnffetn.
81! ~ n< ~v<> r m :ul e any c ha.ng- 0 in this <l1 0ss wlH'r0v0r she went.

FOUNDATION OF THE ~ION~\.STERY AT PAUIS

365

saints cau. She says on this matter : "'C1oss, which I adore

in Your bauds aud vrh id1 I recei Ye as a most precious gift;
cross, which cru ci tied me, uot foi a day, but for mauy years;
cross, whose pain 1 tmmot exvlaiu how ii is both painful and
delightful in unitiug me to yon !" 1
Some days after, ou .Jan nmy 25, feast of the Conversion
of St. Paul, the :Jlother had a bad fall while descending the
staircase of the choir. It was thought that her skull had
been fraetnrecl. T'he repose which this accident forced ber
to take, 'yas seized by Our Lord as an opportunity to reue"~
to ber, under another form, both His will for her to remain
in this sta te and the assurance. of the care which He took
to clothe her, not only religiorn~I.r, but also diYinely. He
sa]cl to he1: '':Jfy daughte1, to giYe thee repose and keep
thee in ]Jeace, I offer tbee a bed of :Jly own blood. ~ And as
he svoke tlrns, He sho\Yed her a becl richly adornecl with
cmta ius and coYerlets of cl'imson velYet. He then added:
'This bed is also a closet in 'Yhich thon wilt learn l\ly secrets
and recei ve :JI y orde1s which, for the inesent, are th at th ou
must not make thy religions profession, no matter what may
be said to thee about it. I enYelop tbee in :JI.r Precious
Blood, and in this way thon art clotbecl with th_e garments
"~hich I give to thee, by an excess of goodness which thou
canst not comprehend.m
The clear :Mother had great neecl of this new affirmation.
Reproaches and eyen menaces were dealt out to her. Sorne
individuals who had taken an interest in her establishment
at Paris, signified to her that they would ne\er consent to
see her again until she took the habit of ber Order. After
liaving seen the above described vision, she wrote: :Jly Lord
and my God, how admirable is Your wisdom ~ 1f it had not
inshucted me as to its desires, coulcl I ha 'Te had any rest
while so many versons were troubling me and themselves,
becanse I have not the exterior ha hit of onr Order which I
giYe to Yonr daughters ! Dear Loye, this is a mortification
which I offer up for Your greater glory, while in it I find
1.Autographic Life, ch. XCV.
::!A utographie Life, ch. XCYI.
3Ibicl em.

3GG

LIFE OF

JE~\N~E

CHEZARD DE M.ATEL

Nharne whid1 I aecept with rny whole heart, foi as many

yearN ns Yon may please, sinee f.;everal pions, expel'iencecl,
and lea l'necl pc1sons me of the op in ion that I shonld cleprive
myNelf of this f4atisfaciion. Deal' Lonl, I say to Yon with
the Sponse in the Canticles: Filii nwfl'is mcac p11g11avcnwt
contra me: posucrunt me c11stodc111 in vinris: lncam meam
non custodivi. "'l"'he sons of rny mother have fonght against
me: they have made me the keeper of their vineyards: rny
O\Yll vineyarcl I have not kept." 1 ".,.hile I take care of lllJ
daughters who me vines that Yon have planted in Your
Uhureh to bear hlossoms and fruits in it, it seems that I forget myself and the care of my own vineyard. )lost dear
Love, -n. . ho loYe my soul, do not let me go astray or go back
""hile I make others p;o forward, ~duce in the way of life,
not to go forward is to go baekwal'd. l care for nothing but
Yon in all things, in all places, and for all." 2
After the accident which hap1)ened to the good Mother,
the Divine Physician showed Ilimself full of tenderness for
her. He wfahed, above all, to convince lier that in ~pite of
all that eould be infened from her exterior condition, she
wns indeed His tendel'ly d1erishecl spouse. "n the feasts
of St. Agatha and St. DoI"oth~, .February 5 and G," she
1ela tes, '"Yon invited me to the un ptials which Y ou celehra ted with those blessed virgins, and said that I, bei11g their
siste1 and Your spouse, conld en ter Your. nuptial chamber.
And as Your w01d does what it snys, Yon infrodnced me
into it, with snch majesty and svl"eetness, that I seemed another Esther, crowned with Your glo1y and snstained by
Yonr tender love. I was overwhelmed with the abundance
of the delights which Your Spfrit eommm1 icated to me. 1\Iy
soul seemed made one wi th Y on. 'Y e we1e two pel'sou s in
one love and one spfrit.'' 3
7

1Cant. I. 5.
2 .. \ u tographic Life, C"'h. XCVI.
::1 hidern.

CHAP'l1ER XXI

Sojourn at Paris

lGJJ-168
~~lthough the )lonastery of )fother de "Jiatel was situated
in the outskfrts of the suburb and was far from the cente1
of the city, her influence with the powers of emth and
HeaYen, he1 lights and the unetion of ber worcl~, attraete'cl a
crowcl of Yisitors. )lany came to recommend to her despernte cases of their sick who had been given up by the physicians. Others clesired to confer with her on things diYine,
eommlrnlC'ating to her theil' deepest secrets and receiving
from her, counsel and consolation. She regretted fo1mer
thnes when her days glided y in prayer Yd1ich was almost
nninterrupted. At this epoch, the pages of her autolJiogI'aphy are filled with sighs forcecl from her by this regret.
'I1hus she says: '' )fy Lord and my God, what a difference in
Your treatment of me in my father's bouse and at L~ons,
and Your 1nesent treatment of me here ! I t seems as if ages
had passed since I tasted Your S'\Yeetnesses. Y our bands
formerly pourecl delights into my heart with abuudance of
joy. 'I'here was a continuons affluence of Yom g1aces. Yon
immdated rny soul with Yom torrents. You inebriated me
\Yith delicious water~ . ..'.\t present T stretch ont my hands to
You and exclaim: Dea1 L01d, I am a soil withont raiu;
do not turn Your face away from me. n
Again she c1ies out: "I beg Yom pmclon for the repugnance I feel in staying away from Lyom;, and in beiug so
tirecl of Paris.'' Her Divine Svonse replies: '')ly claughter,
here thon wilt glorify )le. :No matter what aven;;;ion thon
feelest, baye comage.'' 'l'hen He applies to her the words
of faaias. which He is to repent to her so often: "'rhou wilt
lJe ~ly glo1ious 1epose by not follmdng thy inclinations and
by not doiug thy "ill. I will eleyate thee aboYe the heights
1Autographic Life. ch. XCVII.

367

3G8

LIFE OF

.JEAX~E

CHEZ ARD DE ::.\l.ATEL

of the earth and 1 will give thee the herifage of eTacob to

nourish thee. Tt is ~Iy month that has promised thee this
and promiRes it now agaiu.m
As fe venerab1e ~fother had to make the sacrifice of her
iepose, she wished that lier constant communication with
externs would proeme the glory of God and the salvation
of souls. It W'as not difficult for her to obtain this resnlt.
Prom her heart overtlowing with graees there streamed forth,
withont any effort, wonh; " . . hose light and unction penetrated her visitors. In this way she exercised a fruitful
apostolate.
As we are told, by l\Iother de Bly, who lived for many
years with her in the monastery of Paris: "1"his pions
l\fother's inclination to speak of God cansed the most ordi11ary conversations to be about things of Heaven, on which
she was RO eloqnent, that no one wearied of listening, espeeially when she made reference to the Holy Scriptnres. She
had the gift not only of exp1essi11g herself well, but also of
touching hearts and infusing into them love of God, and
contempt for all that is not God, and to despise themselves.
She tried to persuade those who came to visit ber to approach the Roly Table often, and freqnently to receive the
sac1ament of penance " . . hich purifies the soul and renders
H more capable of treating with God. As far as she conld.
she lcd them to the practice of mental prayer, morning and
evening, and said to them, in her mvn agreeable way. tliat
this gives the soul an a1)petite for heavenly things and a
(listaste for tl10se that are earthly. From the almost infinite 11nrnl>er of per~ons who ronve1secl with her, I "in mention only a fe,v whose nnmes were not less ieve1ed in Pmi~
than their vil'tneR nnd dignities. ' ' 2
\Ve cannot follow this faithful anBaliRt in all her recital.
'rhe detni1s whieh Rhe gives of he1 contempornrieR in tlrnt
g-1cat ag<\ me fnll of inte1e~t , lrnt wonlcl ]ead ns too far nway
from 0111 ~n hjetL Lpt n~, howcver, ~n.v flom he1 testimony,
i hat arnoug fe 1)e1N01wge~ oYer whom the i11fh1ence of
~I othei de l\I ~el waR mo~ t l'e ma l'lrn hle, t lH_~ Ch aucell or
L\ utogTaphic Lif e. e h. X CV.
~ .:\la1111script i\kmoir of l\loth er d e U ly, c il. X\'.

SOJOUR~

AT PAUIS

360

Sguier holds the fi1st place. This celerated magisate

vnu; a fervent Christian. His virile soul feasted on the Holy
Scl'iptures. The conversations of that )fother to whom the
'Yord of God manifested Himself so clearly throngh the
Holy Scriptures, was full of charm for him. He was transported 'vith joy while reatling some of her wri tings which
had been commnnicated to him y the Abbot of C1isy.
'Then he learned that the Cardinal of Lyons had made her
write a full report of the g1aces with w hich she had een
favored by Onr Lord, he expressed a desire to see it. Si~ter
Frances GraYier secretly lent him a co1)y. He kept it a long
time bec a use, as he sa id, 'he found spednl unction in i t and
it nourished his own love for the Roly St'riptures.m
'fhe pions magistrate drank in from prayer and this
studs of the Roly Books, such a deep sense of the infinite
g-randeur of God, that, during bis repeated agonies in his
last illness, he was often heard exclaiming: " ~1byss of all
being, when shall 1 be absorbed in Yon: 0 infinity of my
God, when shall I lose myself in Yom osom as the rivulet
loses itself in the sea !'' He believed that he owed many of
the grnl'es which he had received, to the intercession of the
venerable Foundress, and solieited her prnyers \vhen he was
engaged in bearing some painful suffering or performing
some important business.
But let us mention Jfr. de la Pi,1rdi<">re, )iother de )latel' s spi ri tu a 1 son by excellence. Our Lord lm d made he1
understand the mi~~ion ~he had reiYed with regard to him
when she stilrresided nt Lyons and did not know him either
by sight or by repntntion. She 1elates: "You _designated
him by the name of .Jacob, which is the same as J ame~ and
you said to me: He is engnged in finances."~ I ndeed i t was
the will of the Sovereign ~lw~ter that this gentleman who
was married, and the fa ther of a famil;y and employed in administering the goods of the State, should become, under the
direction of the lrnm hle ~Iother, a man of praye1 and finally
a holy priest.
i:.\Ianuscript 1\lemoil" of 1\loth e 1 de Bly, ch. XV.
:2Autog:rapbic Life, ch" XCVllI.

!170

LIFE OF JEANXE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

~fr. de la Pimdire, from bis youth, hacl longed to meet

some person specially favored by Heaven to manifest to him
his soul and to make him its guide in the ways of the spirit.
He found in l\fother de l\fatel even more than he had craved
and he placed himself under her guidance. 'l"l1e gift of praye1 W'"as the object of his petitions, but he had small hope of
receiving it. She enconraged him and assured him from the
deep conviction which had been given to herself about it,
that this favor would be granted him and that grace wonld
oyel"flow in his soul.
She cxperienced that Our .Lord gaye her lips a special
1Jlessing to speak to him of the things of God. On his sicle,
when he was listening to the good l\lother, he felt himself
far from earth and penetrated with an nnction which wns
all heavenly. 'l1 he venernble l\fother ielates: ""W'"hen he was
returning home after Yonr Holy Spirit had made me speak
to him in this manner, his carriage bore his body, but Y onr
love rnised his spirit higher than the emp:nean heavens. for
it raised it eyen to Yon \Vho are the highest Heaven. Soon
he experiencecl what David said: Gustatc et vidcte quoniarn
:m a vis est Dol1l in us. " Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.'~
And after tasting You, he saw that Yon are must sweet and
sweet ness itself. He began to recefre Holy Commnnion mo1e
freqnently despite rnany cl'ticisms. Shortly nfterwards, he
ieeeived fom times a week. In the strength of that heavenly
Bread, he ascended to the summit of Yonr holy monnt,
my Lord and my God. B~r your sa<.'retl nnction, Yon con~ecrated an the pmYers of bis soul and made the ~mperior
pal"i of his spirit Yom own Roly of Holies. In less than six
rnouihs, I saw him rise step by step to the sixth mansion
1muked in the castlc of tll(' soul by Y onr dea r loye1, St.
're1esa. ~
'rlte rnog1ess of this noble g'entlernm1 was ~o gTent tltnt
0111 Lonl wi~lw<l to 11wk<l hirn momlt still highe1. H0 inf' 01 rn e d :\ 1o t lt e i <k Ma t el i 1rn t 11 <} won l <l no t l en Ye h i m
long i11 bis 1ntl~c11t <mulit-iou. 'Yhen she 1evealed to M1.
<le ln Pimdi<'1c ffod'~ ~pecial deNigrn~ np011 him, he wns
1

1 J>s.

XXXII 1.

:!.\utogrnpl1ic J,ife, cil. XCVIII.

SO.JOUHX

~\T

PAHIS

371

stupefied. .:\11 his seugth gave "ny and his whole body
trem bled. The good )fothe1 theu bhtme(l hersclf and atcnsed herself of excessiYe fraukuess. Bnt ns soon as he
oyename his speechlessness, he said to her: ' You must not
he sorry for telling me these thiugs, for before en te1ing
the manied sta te, I had the deshe to be a religions. I
shall follow,. the will of Our Lord in all things. and I hope
that He will make it knmYn to me through you. since He
has selected you to lead me to Himself ... 1
Some days later, )fr. de la Piardire said to the Yenerable )lother: ''\Vhile I was assisting at )Intins yesterday
ev~ning in the clrnrch of the Fathers of the Oratory, Our
Lord made known to me that it is His will that I obey
you, and the power of His s'Yeetness made me take a Yow
to obey you in all matters which are permitted by my state
of life and rny profession. Your wise prudence W'"ill be
the jndge of the limits of rn.v obedience. '' The :\lother at
filst refnsed to accept thi:-; responsibility which was far
frorn the ordinary \Yays. But finally she feared to resist
the orders of God and said: 'I snbrnitted my judgment,
in the hope that You would giye me the light to be snch
a guide, and 0 my brill iant Sun, Y ou did this "ith such
clearness that I saw naught but Yonrself. )lay I neYer
see aught else, if this is Yom plea::-;u1e. All t.ha t is not
You, to me is nothing. He who loYes anything besicles Yon.
loves You less, if he does not loYe it through You and for
loYe of You. Since Yon gaye him to me as a son, as Yon
gaye Your beloved disciple to Your holy )fother, I liaye
accepted him from You and he has. has accepted me as
llis Mother." 2
The Foundress admired in ~Ir. de la Piardire his
method of managing busine~s affairs. no less than the favors
which he received frorn Heaven. She says: ''God of love,
You filled his soul with sublime thoughts and You arranged
by your marvelous economy that he "onld find and devise
expedients to manage his financial affair~. I t is wonderful to see ihis man more detached from gold and silvcr
L\utogrnphic Life, ch. XCVIII.
~Ibidem.

372

LIFE OF JEANNE CHE7;ARD DE l\IA'rEL

many religions who have made a YOW of poverty. How

applicable to him are the words of l1~cclesiasticns: Beatus

thm1

dites qui in vent us est sin c ma eu la, et qui post au rnm non
abiit,, nec spem v it in pecunia, et th csauris. Qui probatus
est in illo et pcrfcctu s) crit illi gloria aeterna. '"Blessed is
the rich man that is fonnd witlwnt blemish and that hath
not gone after golcl nor put his trust in money nor in
tremmres. He who hnth been tried thereby and bcen macle
perfect, shall have glo1y evel'lasting. m
~Ir.

cle la Piardire, on his part, W'as amazed and even

djsfressed at the disinterestedness of Mother de ~fatel. He
wonld have desfred to aid her by his own generous donation s to bear the heavy nrdens which we1e weighing npon
her. She always fonnd excuses not to accept his offers.
'" She is as ad1oit in rmming nway from money," he said,
as oth ers are in imrsning it." 2 Her clelicacy was so sensi ti ve t hat he saw hel' ehm1ge colo1 when he offerecl his help.
Finall~T he gave np opposing her on this point, but begged
her at least to entrust to him the monies she possessed
so tlrnt he might invest them advantageously. She con
sentefl to this and ~fl. de la Pimdirc became the father
of t he monasteiy in tem]J01al affairs. Like many others,
he saw for hirnself the care which the angels, according
to theiI promise took of the possessious of the monaste1y.
As soon a s her rnoncy was invested in any enterprise,
t hat business was sure to be a snccess. Any one who becam e in terested in her affairs, was loaded with blessings.
'l'h er efore he sa id t o her : " You are nnder no obligations
to me, because it is th e divine goodness that pl'ospers my
s piri t nal a nd t emporal enterprises when I occupy my~e l1
with y om affairs which are His . ' ' ~
rh c exa la b01s of l\foth e1 de l\fn t el in her care of
cxt e111 s, did Hot rnakc hcr ncglect the cme of her o'vn
reli g ions fnrnily . Af'te1 lier final installation , shc called
to l'a 1is f1 om G 1ellohle, ~fothcr 1fmy of the PasRion and
1

1 Ecc l c~ in ~ ti c u ~

XXX I , 8, 1 O.

:! J\ 11 to grnph ic L ifc , c h . XCV TTT .

~

l hi 1l0m .

SOJOURN AT PARIS

373

Rister J1Jlias of the Cl'oss. 'l"he latter, being yet a noviee,

wns the first professed of the monaste1y of Pmis, whidt
soon beeame very tiomishing. Tts personnel 'nu;; nngmented
hy subjects from distingnished families.
Its ceremonies
of clothing with the holy habit and of the holy iwofession,
attracted an extrao1dinary attendance, amid w1dch were
seen lords of the Court and even members of the royal
fmnily. At the first taking of the habit, it was found necessary to make a temporary tribune with scaffolding, to
accounnoate the King's musicians who had been sent with
their instruments to confri bnte by their syuq)hony to the
brilliancy of the solemnity. At the second, at which the
orator of the day wns the Bishop of Amiens, the Princess
of Cond wished to be the godmothe1 of the postulant who
was a daughtei of a member of the Counci1 of State. As
.1\fother de Bly relates: ""Tn less than four years, our worthy
l\fother gave the veil to more than eight of her spiritual
children, and the countesses of Fruges, Beauvais, and
Samson permitted their daughters to take the little habit
of the Order which they had beggecl with fervor.m
~tihe Chancellor had at heart the prosperity of the new
monastery, the advancemen~t of w hich made him think
of an expedieut that he proposed to the Foundress. This
was the suppression of the honse of Lyons, in order to
increase the personnel and resonrs of the bouse of the
eapital. 2 'l"his proposa] touchecl one of the lrnmble l\fother's
dearest affections. Being unwil11g to oppose the views of
a person whom she 1espected so profoundly~ she asked him
to pe1mit ber to consnlt God, before making a decision.
'l"he next day, which was September 14, 1644, she wrote
to the Chancellor a ieply which is too long to be cited
in :ts entirety and yet too beantiful and consoling to be
passed over in complete silence. The following are i ts
principal passages: l have had reconrse to my Divine
~pouse, with the confidenee that yon know He has inspired
1Manuscript Memoir by Mother de Bly, ch. XIII.
2As the Abb Penaud writes, what h e did not express but hacl in
his mind was that Mother de Matel would thus lJecome a fixture in the
c apital and the Chancellor would not be in consta nt dreacl of her
ta king herself and her lights away from himself.
The vener<l hle Jeanne cl e Matel, Vol. I, bk. III. ch. IV.

374

LIFE OF

.TIUX~E

CHEZ.Hm DE

~L\'rEL

ml<l 1 lc- ha:-; rna(le me hem this a11~\Ye 1 : Tell )ly Chancello1
tliat J HJllll"Cffll hi~ m<_Hle~t.Y, lrnm ility, and zeal , but thnt
ltis thonght thnt yon ~lwnld sell )ly hon~e of Lyons is
noi )fy thonght. Jaeol> pon1ed oil 0 11 the stone on whieh
he lrnd re~ted bis hend while he slept when the_ angels
\n~1e asecndiug and deseern.ling the mystic lnchler which
had been shown to him in his Yision, and as soon as he
nwoke he said: rcrc Domin11s est in loco isto et ego
11 escirba m.
"'Trnly the Lord is in this place and I knew it
1
not. '.' Thnt honse of Lyons is )[y Bethel where thon hast
f-'ee11 ~fy seledion of it, and I h:we sho\Yn thee the seals
whieh T haYe hnd plaeed upon it, b~T the ministry of ::\ly
fnithfnl ::\Iiehnel whe1e thon sawe~t the steps by which I
\\onld iaise it np and thon sawest hmY I wonld support
it on ::\Iy Own fayo1s and on ::\lyself. JI eus c.i;;t Galaad et
u1c11s est Jf anasscs, et Ephraim s11scept io copitis mci. "'Galaad
is )Iine and )fnnasses is J[ine nnd Ephraim the protection of ::\ly head. "~
'')Iy danghter, the hon~e of Lyo n~ is well represented
hy Galaad. I have founded it on the blood of )ly martyrs
who are ::\Iy witnesses assembled to eonfess ::\ly namc there
and to seal their faith with th.eir blood shed foi ::\Ie. It is
~Innasses, forgotten by men, bnt lornd and regmded by
:Jle. It is )ly Ephraim whence I hm'e ieaped fruits b efore
and whence I will reap nerr fruit~ in the t ime that is preordainecl. Althongh it seems desolate, al>a ndoned , and al mo~t ruined, arnl is th.r l>nrclen and sorrow, it will .ret be
thy joy. Do not feal' self-lm'e in thy loYe foi it. 'l 'his love
is not confrary to perfection. I 1oyc- thif-' gnte of Sion more
ihan all the tnbe111a<"les of .Tacob. Glorions things aic said
and sha]) be said nl>ont t his honst\ "I1ich I makc )[y O\ni
ity, f01tifie. a1Hl chfc-11<.led hy )[y nng'Cls who diligently
~fo 11 cl gn a Jd o\e1 i L The Cm'(l i 1w 1 of Lyons lias not dnrecl
to (]e~i10.r it, hecan~c l p1okd it, nlihongh he is ign01ant
of :.\Iy p1'otcci-io11. ...\s for :.\Iy Ch nntellor and thyself, who
mc both ill11111iH0l hy :.\fy light~. wonld yon t wo be nhlc to
1 C~c 11.

XX\"II. 1 fi ..

:! P :-.. C'\. If, S.

SOJOCRX .\T P.\nIS

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37G

LIFE 011, JE.ANNE CHEZ.AUD DE l\fATEI_J

desoy it? It iR ~ly will there to reign and to ieive

the pra.~e and confe8sion of l\fy Name which is ltoly.'"
'l"lte Chancellor bowed down before this wisdom from
on higlt and his projert was abaudoned. T'he future ratified
what the saintly l\Iotlter had written and proved only 't oo
cleal'ly what a misfortune it would have been to sacrifice
the honse of Lyons to tltat of Paris.
'l"Jlis honse, before giving the consolations tha t had been
iwomised, was to cause the worthy l\Iother man3T anxieties
and s011mys. In 1GJ5, she yielded to the 1ongings of l\Iother
Helen Gibalin who governed the Congregation and permitted her to go to Avignon and put on the holy livery
of the Incarnate
01d w-Itich site had Ro long desired. The
Fonndress replaced her at Lyons, by lter dear daughter,
Blizabeth Grasseteau, from whose heroism she could ask
any kind of sacrifice. The latter again filled the house
of the Congregation with the odor of sanetity during one
year. Her seraphic soul took its flight to Heaveu on J nue
11, 16JG, after a bl'ief illness.
~rhe news of this death -was a thunderbolt to the poor
:Mother whose sonow was so gl'eat that it was feared site
would snccumb to it. For two ye~rs the grief of titis loss
caused her a palpitation of the heart which, at times, reduced her to a condition which seemed to be hopeless. She
tlrns tells us of her affliction: ~rhe feast of St. Barnabas,
whose nmhe signifies son of consolation, was for me a day
of grent desolation. On it, Your justice took awny from
rne my dcarest danghter, Elizabeth G1asseteau. '1"11is death
was rnost bitter to my soul, whieh ~nw it~elf dep1ivcd of
hcr whom it esteemed as ih; faithful friend by excellence.
A 11 the virtues whieh she had 1nndid front the time wheu
~he a lmndoned her home, hel' iel atiYe~, and herself to follow
Yon, my divine W'"onl made tlesh, caused me great shame
hy ma king me fcel how far T wns from hc1 perfection. She
W(IS hnrnhle of h<}al't and illlitah_l<l Yon ns dosely as she
" ' m ..; able.
l would tlPV(_ll' hnv(_l believe<l that ~he was so
<lem io rne jf 1 had 11ot felt her lo~s to be the gTeatcst
l coul<1 ~11 ffcr i 11. i hi~ 1ife, exl'ept the lo~~ of Yom grnce.
Saduess, wi th reg1et- a t h m i Hg penn i it e<l ltel' se para tion

'Y

SOJOURN A'J' P AIUS

377

from me, so filled my sonl tlrnt it seemed paralyzed in

all its powers. near Love, my I.ord and my Go<l, I often
said tn You, w.ith the P1ophet of SOlTOWS: ride Durn iuc
afflictioncm mc<tm. ''Lord, see my aftliction.m
'l'his ial "'f~ all the moi-e painfnl to the afflicted
.J lother as it was joined to a state of interior distress ana
exterior contradietion. --~ry DiYine 81Jouse," she exclaims,
"'can I live any longer in such anguish ! To me Paris is
a prison, althongh it appears to others to be rny happy
home. If I \Vere at Lyons on the holy 3Ionnt which is my
.Je1nsalem, it seems to me that I would be fnll of joy. 'l'he
bloo<l of Yonr martyrs wonlcl be to me a ehaliee of benecliction, inebriating me so that I wonld not feel the tortures " Thich harass me within and the annoyances which
s111rouncl me \Ythout. And what is the most afflicting is
.that I do not \Yant any consolation of any kind whatsoever:
Rcnuit consolari anirno 11lca. " .)ly soul has refusecl to be
c01rnoled.'''.! I cannot speak of my afflictions withont increasing them, because I see that speaking of them is complaining of what You permit for Your own goocl reasons
whieh are m1known to me. 'l'his often makes me say :3
Justw3 es Domine et rectum judicitun tuum. ""'l'hou m-t jnst,
0 Lord and 'rhy judgment is right.''
'Ye know that these reasons, which the venera ble
l\lother saicl \Vere nnknown to her, were the designs of
most sublime predestination. 'l'he Divine 3laster oftn in cnlcated this lesson in her. But in her state of sorrow,
this knowledge, so striking in its clearness and nth, macle
only passing impressions on her soul.
For instance, Our Lord often cited to her the example
of Moses who, withont appearing to be a p1iest, eonsecratecl
priests and pontiffs, becanse his own sacerdotal consecration given by God Himself, wns not the le~s renl or augrn~t
for not having been seen by men. One day while He
wns S]Jeaking of those who blamecl her for giving the religions habit and not receiving it he1self, He said to her:
1.A.utographic Life, c h. C.
2Ps . LXXVI. 2.
:i.A.l; tograpl-:ic Life, ch. C .
.f P;:;;. CXYIII, 138.

:178

LIF'E OF

.JE~\~~E

"Lt~t

CHEZ.HW DE l\I.ATEL

thcm Rhow Me the ma11 from whom JHm.;es received

i hP pl'ie!sthood, ")fo~e~, who rnatle Amo11 nml his Rons priests
and dothe(l thern in the lffiestl y ve8tme11ts. i\Iy danghter,
vd1at can they answer to t hese w01ds '!-' nem T.i01d, Yon
eminentl.''" a n ointed, eon sC!e1nted, and clothed him Yonrself
in Yonr ta bernacle in the ])l'esence of Yom an gels, just
as Yon ha-re often tol<l me Yon did for rnYself, who am
the most unworthy of all Yom creatures.' -Yes, l\f y danghter, those w ho will knmv the m ereiful 'vonders which it
has pleased Me to work in thee, will not donbt that I have
eminent1y and admfrnbly _giYen thee the Order and the
habit. I have already told thee that not all the lmys given
for others are for thee. I mn the Lord 'Ylw do what I
will, in Heaven and on earth.m
On anothe1 occasion, while ~he was rneditating on the
waves of blood which the Divine Redeemer shed for onr
salvation, He loving1y nrged her to p1nnge into them, in
01cler that she might be clothed with His adorable royal
pnrple, and He said to ber: Quam vulcllra C8 et quam
dccora charissima in delici is! ''Ho"'" benntifnl nrt thon, and
how comely, My dearest, in delights !'' 2 i\Iy danghter, do
not the water and b1ood thnt I ponred ont for thee, make
thee agreeable to l\fy eyes? Sin ce thon hm-;t been washed,
adorned, and covered with this Precions Blood, hm-;t thon
not been clothed wHh J esus Clnist, thy Spouse of Blood?
'rhy danghters me clotlled with it ext eriorly, hnt is this
habit the more holy becanse i_t has been reecived from Yisib1e
l1all(ls and appcars to corporal eyes? ~rliat whieh I give
i hec, is invjsible to mortal eyes, but is seen aud admired
hy immortal spirits. l\'foses was clothed by God, in the
tabernacJe of His own glories, and wns cow1cd in a cloud
i o be h i dden from men , and yct was h c not more agreen b1 e to th e cyes of the DiYinity than . . \mo11 consecrntcd
m1<1 clotltc<l wiUt the priestly yestme11ts hy the hancls of
~I oscs who wme ltoi h i11; 1ike i hem '!
ll c hnd 110 mitre
mad e hy mol'l.al h~rn<l:-;, but ihe Jays; heaming from hjs
r~t <: e we1e 11101e aug1rnt and h1illinnt thm1 all mol'tnl nd0111 1. \i;to .i::~Tap lli c

'.2C':i 11 t . V I 1, G.

Lif e, eh. C VlTT.

SOJOUHN A'r PARIS

37!)

ments. He was a priest in the preseuce of Go 'Yho had

chosen him, and of the m1gels who were with him in the
tabernacle. He was tlrns 1eeognized by David sa.ring :1
JI oyses et Aaron in socerdotibus ejus. )foses and Aaroi1
among His priests.' ' 2
It is easily understood, reasons as exfraordiuary as thef.1e
eould not be alleged to critics. They remained the secret
of the venerable Mother and her dil'ecto1s, and, according
to the expression of the Apostle, 3 the world contiuued to
blaspheme the t hiugs of which it was ignorant. ~Iother
de M:atel's goodness of heart made her very sensitive to the
discon teu t which she eYoked, especially m11ong th ose whom
she cherished. These tl'ials -\vere dealt out to her with
nnsparing hand. My friends, my relatives, and my yery
eutrails," she writes, "that is to say, my OYfll daughte1~
of AYiguon, Grenoble, and T. 3Ton~, opposed me and thought
that I ought to advance my owu glory as 'vell as that of
my Divine Spouse while I wns multiplying m01utsteries. I
looked for help from You, foi I could not procure it from
elsewhere. I received it to console me, but only in passing,
fm, as it seemcd to me, my prayers were without unetion:
.. I offered You my suffe1ings and the contradictions
made by those who thought tJiey ""'"ere thus serving You,
whereas they did not know Your Father's will which is
Y ours. 0 dear Lord. You said to me: 'l\fy daughter, the
thonghts of men are not l\fy thonghts, and their ways are
uot My ways. rrrust thyself to ~ly goodness. All the
words which I speafr to thee, are W'Ords accomvlishjng l\Iy
will. They will bring about wh at I clesire and what is
for thy advantage.' Your gooclness cousoled me like a flash
of lightning which passes in a moment, but it was followed
by the continual thunder of those who murmured or reproached me, bc('. anse I dicl uot take the habit.
"I passed the four years between 1644 and 1648, in
nnsveakable sadness, 1 wept whole honrs at uight and I
hnd an inex1nessible 1epugnance to iemaining at P<tris.-1 T
1.Autographic Life, ch. CV.
2Ps. XCVIII, 6.
3Jud e X .
.J-AutogTapl1ic Life, c h . XCIX.

380

LIF'E OF JEANNE CHEZATID DE l\IATEL

wm.; sick in body and languid in rnind. All my actions

diRpleaRed me and I was alrnost insupportable to myself.
Passive visits annoyed me beyond expression and I made
none that were active, and never went out of the monaste1y. 'rhe short days alleviated my sufferings, because I
then had more tirne to pour out my soul in tears. But
for this, I hid from the community who could see no reasou for m~- sous and sighs, as they could not know their
source, for no one did anything to displease me. Everything was supplied to me in abundance. \Yithout caressing
me, Yom l\f ajesty gave suceess to all my actionf5. In imitati 011 of Yom BleRsed l\lother at Cana, I had confidence
that Yon woul<l do a11 that I would ask, if l so desired;
l>ut l desired nothii1g, I was dnll. I """as astouished that
miyone eould bem rne 01 eo nve1Re with me. I adored Your
wise gooduess whil'h permitted me to be in that state.m
I t was iudeed wise goodness whieh, while the saintly
l\fothe1 threw inio raptmes those who considered it a
gJate to speak to hm, caused herself to be astonished that
auy could bear her 01 e01fferRc with her, and that the distinguished and Bmuerons vdtors whom she received, were
far from engende1i11g attachments and mmoyed hei unspeakal>Iy, and that i hc testimo11ials of ve11eration Iavished
upon her, instead of incJiJ ing her to vain complacency,
left her insupportable to herself. llnt, at the smne time,
she is forced to acknowledge that God made everything
she did, sutceed, and this gave her, not only confidence,
l>ut also proofa that He would do anything that she would
dcsi1e mHl ai-.;lc \Vhile she was mrnble to desire anything
for hCJself, hCJ compa~siou for the snfferi11g1-3 of ber neighbm m1d eRpeeially of her own <1anghte1s, used for their advm1iagc the condesen:-.;ion of l1e1 Divine Rpouse.
Fm i11:-.;hrn<e, i.he good l\fofer one day saw all lier
<langlticn-i N(k :ti ihe :-.;mne iime. l\Jothe1 l\f:wy of the
Jloly UhoNt hlN Io 111Hle1go an opp1atio11 for a ilrn1or on
tJw k11eP. lier eX<'eSNl\'C rnoJ.tifiation ClllRe<l hcr to hidc
i t 1'01 f'o111tee11 yen 1s, lH<l 11ow H ha:-.; hrought 011 Ruch a
1.A utogTaphi c Lifc, elJ. C .

SOJOURN A'.r PARIS

381

burniug fever and such an extraordinary swelling that

the physicians will not answer for her life. The Sister
in charge of the kitchen, has such an inflamed swelling
of her eye that she is forced to go to bed. The Sister
who shonld have taken her place, is also sick. Here \Yas
a chance for devotedness "Thich vrns only too good and
the saintly :Jiother was far from missing it. She begins
by protesting against the fears of the surgeon, Dr. Prioult
and she assures him that her daughter, ~fother Mary of
the Holy Ghost, y\7il1 not die, and that the other will not
lose ber eye. She then quiets the poor cook, W'ho is un1mtien t to get back to ber work, and promises thnt she
herself will take ber place. This was incredible, as the
infirmities of :Jiother de :Jfatel made the heat so insupp01table to her that she would not be able to go into the
kitcben wi thout a notable increase of suffering. The operation on the knee was so successful that even the surgeon
looked on it as miraculous. 'rl1e Sister who was snffering
from her eye and whom niother de ~latel found too anxious
to be cured, etermined to continue groaning all night to
arouse the ::\fother's sympathies \\'"hich rnmally ",.ere so easily
moved. Her stratagem succceded. Towards four o'clock in
the morning, the good M other could resist no longer, and she
conjured St. Raphael to relieve the Sister. "'At tlrnt instant," writes the biographer, "'the celestial physician
}Jierced the tumor \Yith such skillfulness, that when the
surgeon came several lrnnrs after, he found the swelling
ieduced \vith a much better punctu1e in it than the one
he had intended to make. 'n
~Ioreover, to the great astonishment of all who knew
how injurions heat was to the :Jlothe1 Foundress, she was
able to hear the ternperature of the kitchen. This was good
for her humility. She be1ieved she was imlebted for this
favor to the inte1ces~don of her holy daughter, Elizabeth
Grassetean, \Yho as the ::\lother says, "p1efened thi~ office
to the highest dignitie~ and to any other employment. '' 2
Indeed Rhe did not Yri~h to give up when the Sister cook
1.Autographic Life, ch. CIII.
2Ibidem.

382

LllnD OF'

.JE.AN~E

CHEZ.Hm DE l\IATEL

was (med, and after giYing to eminent visi tors the spi1itual
)JOUI"ishment foi which they were so avid, it was her happiness to retnn1 to the kitchen, to JH'epare corporal nourishrnent foi her daughters.

It was not only in the interior of the cloister that Our

Lord made all she did 01 said, sueceed ~ tlnough hei, He
granted the snme fa\ror to pe1sons outside of it. 'I'his was
~o well known that she was often ealled the Oracle of the
Jncanwto ff"onl. 'I'he Abb du Bosquet, an eminent lingnist
and theologian, loved to say his l\Iass in the chapel of the
monm;tery. As the saintly ~Jother tells ns, he said it with
a tleYotion which was not ordinary. One day while he is
nt the altar, sbe sees on the paten a small cloud in which
white and blue are happily blended, and she is inspired
with an intuition that be will reeeive a dignity which he
cloes not 110\Y possess. Sorne time afterwards she knows
that he is to be vromoted to the e1scopate, not lJy the
favor of men, lJut by a eele~tial graee presagecl by the small
c1ond. At the next visit of the AlJb, she imparts to him
what has been revealed tu hei-. It seemed impossible, but
Gocl confirmed the wonls of His lrnndmaid. "Y ou made
him a Bishop against the expectations of his friends and
of his enemiest writes the veneiable Mother, ""the forme.i
despaired of it, and the latter were deteimined to prevent
it. And all liad reason to say that every counsel is vain
which is against Yon, my Lord and my Gocl. Yonr good11ess macle me hear the following worcl~: '"3Iy daughter,
thon seest how I accomplish all that My Spi1it makes thee
~ny, evell thongh thon dost not ntter it as a prcdidion,
but on1y as a thing of which thon al't confident, on account
o f yom trnst in ~le W'"ho lon:s thee and \Vho am 1111 willing,
to 1e:we thcc in shame wl1en thon hnst inised hopes foi
!-'Orne g-00<1 oet.:me11ee. n Ou the d<ty of the l'C<'(:pt ion of the
lmwPt of' i11 i!-' l1omi1w1 i011, ~I. de P1i~znc Wl'OiP: ""l\f. cln
Bo!-'qt1PI 1rnd Io he a B!-'hop, nftp1 ihe Orncle of' the l11cnt11:tte 'Yonl h:t<l 1hus p1p<lit.:led thtt he wo11l<l." 2
1.\ utogT;qJhic Life, ch. C l.
:.! llJicm.

SOJOURX AT P ..\.RIS

383

'fhe new Prelate goyerned the diol'e~e of LodeYe and

n ftel'wmd~ tha t of "Jf ontpell ier. like n goo<1 :-;he] 1h enl. for
he wa~ a man of solid and lofty yfrtue. He held :\lothel'
de ~Untel in snch esteem that sometimes he gan~ her an
ateount of his couscience. She says that he did this "with
g1eat simplicity, judging himself as n10st 1m\y01thy before
GocV' 1 On one J)Qint he sometimes cliffel'ed \Yith the ''yorfy
.Jiother who responded to the confidences of the Prelate
\Yith her mn1. \Yhen she communic:ated to him some light
\Yhich she had recei\ed, he pretended to see in i t an effect
of the natmal penetra tion and sn1Jerinrity of her in telligence rather than of supe1natural infusion. One day he
\Yrote her a letter \Y hi ch touched on this ma tter and was
painful to ber. He actecl in good faith, but Our Lord
took care to disabuse him. The next clay. while he Tras
telehl'ating the Roly Sacrifice, a Yi~ion laid open before
his eyes the celestial horizons. He sa'" the heart of "Jiother
de "Jfatel borne by the angels into the bosom of Gocl to
enjo.' there a union \Yhich culminatecl in unity. He ac101ec1
the jndgments of God which are so contrm~~ to tlwse of
men. Sorne time aftenyarc1s he came to see the Foundress
and humbly confessed to her \Yhat Om Lord had shmn1
him. ''H!s serions grayity yielding to Yonr kindness to
me.'' she \\Tites, "made him relate \Yhat he had seen and
he confessec1 that You do \Yhat Yon will. in HeaYen and
on earth, and tha t the soul tha t receiYes Y our loYing \Yords,
is nourished and fortified by them and i~ eleYated and almost clidnised. Yon are God \Yho alone works mmTels.~
In spite of the pain of her sojourn in the capital and
the urging of her da nghters a t L.Yon~. the Foun clre~s was
unwilling to leaye the c01ffe1it of Pmis before it ,,~as ~oliclly
e~tablishecl.
There remained two thing~ for her to do. rr11e
first was to put tbem in possession of a suitable location.
The owners of the place which she \Yshed to acquire for
the monastery, hacl been, until then. inhactable. The second was to obtain the confirmation of the letter~ patent.
She had already obtained a soit-montr in Yirtue of which,
1Autographic Life, ch. CI.
!?Ibidem.

384

LIFE OF .JE.\:NNE

CHEZ~\IlD

DE l\IATEL

a8 she was aRsnred, the exiRtence of lier mo1rnstery was

gnaranteecl at least for twent,v yenrs. rrhis provisional
secnrity was not snfficient in her eyes. She continned the
neressary procednre. In 1()48, she sncceeded in obtaining
a decree that the royal letters sl10111(l be p1e~ented to the
Pal'liament at the reopening of the Palace, for the ChristmaR ho1idays had begnn and the session had been snspended
nntil the l~~piJJlumy. Bnt affairs of a yer:r different nature
were now to occnpy the rnembe1s of the royal Court.

UIIAP1'EB XXII
The Monastery of P aris During the Troubles of the Fronde

1GJ0-1G32
On .J amrnr.'T G, lG-9, unexpected ue"s threw Paiis into
commotion. During the night, the Comt hacl sec1etl.' left
the capital. ..A.nne of Austria, wemy of the Pal'liameufs
exaetious \d1ieh made all governrneut impo~sible, hacl retired to Saint-Ge1main \Yif lier son, the k ing, and gfreu
ihe P1iuce of Cond commancl of the royal armies which
hacl bmricadecl the tity. As soou as the news of this en~nt
had sp1ead, the Parliameut levied troops and organized
an insnrreetiou. This "as the epoch of the Fronde, in
w.hich wai it was said, that there ,,,. as au expenditure of
more wit than powde1, although blood ofteu flmvd; and
that those \d10 took pal"t in it neal'ly ahn1ys did the contraiy of \Yhat \\,.as expected of them. In snch conjunc-
tures, not only there was no longer any que~tiou of registering 1etters }latent, but :Jiother de :Jiatel and her daughters saw them selves constrained to abandon thefr home
and enter the city. 'Our situation outside of the barricades," says the Fonudress, "left us expose(l to outrages
from the soldiers and dep1ived us of rneans of procming
bread and other necessaries, on account of the monts which
obstrncted the loads. '' 1
It \Yas a sacrifice for this religions family to tear itself
away from the solitude which piocnred intimacy with its
Divine Sponse, aud to see itse1f t111mn1 out iuto the midst
of the seditions aud insane mob. The Divine :Jfaster took
it on Himse1f to alleYiate their hial. The saintly "3Iother
iecognized, ''that Providence which governs all, had a
special care of harboring her daughters.'~
Her numerons friends in the capHal and especially her spiritual
sons, vied with one a u other for the favor of receiving thern.
2

L-\utographic Life , ch. CIV.

~Ibidem.

385

LlF'E OF .TE.\XXJj CTIE.7,.\IW Im

~I 1. ;111< l

,., ln <1:1 rnt tll'

Jfo~~i gn o l '\H'TP

~\L\Tl~L

a m011g lter most arden l

f1ipnds. and pbt e<._)d, nt fp (lisposnl of the eomllmuity, n

cltapel and ti ve Joorns in the lrnnse whieh they
WPl 'f' o((upying.
'rltis offel' "'as aceeJJted. )f. de Lm1glade,
H th e ologi~m and an ol<l friend of )Jother (le )fatel, wa:--i
clta1rned at being invited to corne every day to say )fass
<t11d give ihern the sacraments. Father :Morin of the Orawy, ga\'e the exhortations and conferences. 'rl1e religions
wel'e able to observe the cloistel' and go through their
exercise:-: as regnlmly as they had done in their conyent.
'rhey were antho1iz;ed to have expositiou of the Blessed
8acramcnt ou Holy 'rlrnrsday, and all the ceremonies of
Holy \Yeek. "Yonr danghters were fed on the heavenly
H1ead," 11\Tites the pions Foufhess, "as if they had been
in Yom ow"n bouse. As for the bread that snstains the
body, I did not let them laek for anything: 1 ""'Ye knew
nothing of the high cost of living," writes )Iother de Bly,
""except what we heard, although bread soared as high as
t hfrty cents a pound.'' 2
ln order not to offeud l\fr. and )ladame de la Pudire,
)foth er d e l\fatel hel'self had to accept hospitality from
th e m~ and that gJeat lady fonnd happiuess in aiding the
good l\fother in p1ocnring the provisions necessary foi
her daughters.
The clwrity of the sain tly ~Iother was not eonfined
to the needs of he1 mn1 family. It was solicited 011 all
sides at once. She di~frilrnted abnndant alms to the poor
who we1e asharned to heg and were snffel'ing from i-;t;uvati on . To hnste11 th e ret11n1 of peace, wltich \Yas be~onght
with ms aml pe1tances, she contrived to have the people
im1,J01e it with mrnnirnons snpplicatious. JTrom her pe11 11 iPs Rlte co11ibuted t0\n1rds engraving aml i-;preadiug
i ma gr~ of l\ m y Q11ce11 of rea~e.
She penmnde<l Dom
.J acq11PN, 1he P10<111ntor of the Cartlrnsians, to pl'i11t a
book in wltieh , U11onglt val'i ed praye1s, pence was begged
f l'0111 '" 'l'hc Tma1n:lie 'Yonl, its Prince, by the iute1ce:-;dm11P~ti(

1.\u t ogT <lJ >hi c Lif e . e h . ClV.

~l\l: 111u ~c 1 ip l l\ Jp 111 o il' l> y

l\lotli e r <l e H l ~. c h . XlV. p. 110.

~IO~J.. STEUY OF PARIS.-TilOlJBLES OF THE FTIO~DE

387

sion of the august :Jlothe1 who gave Hn to the world for

the reconciliation of the hnman race. She eYen Rpent five
lrnndred livres on this work.m
T'he monastery of Grenoble experienced the special effects of her generosity. It had suffered great damages
from an m--e1tlovr of the Tsere that innndated the city. She
sent them a consicle1able snrn to spend on re1wirs. The
~npe1io1ess and sorne of the 8isteu;;;, seeing the altar of
thefr clnnch eanied away hy the 'Yate1s, went at the
risk of their lfres to rescue the Blessecl Sacrnment from
the tabernacle. 'rhey placed H on a step of the stain:nse
ns if to oppose a clike to the torrent, and then remaine(1
in 1wa3--er and aclmation before the Divine Yictim until
priestly hands conld replace Him on His throne.
'f'he nnfortnna te eYents 'vhich eaused the goocl :JI other
such sa('rifices and prinltions, bronght her consolations
which were highJy appreciated. -Y\'hen she was i~elegated
to the outskfrts of the suburbs and had made a lmv for
herself not to go ont of the mo1rnstery, she hnd been dep1ived of the connsels of her old directors. The clistance
'vhich sepan1te(1 the conyent from the house of the .J esuits.
did not permit her delicacy to solicit their visits. As she
was nmv ontside the cloister and near the .J esnit clrnrch
she was able to confer with them and particularly with
Fathe1 de Cond who was preaching the Lenten services
in the pard1 of St. Eustachius, to 'vllich she then be1onged, with Father de Lingendes "--ho had directed ber
dnring her first sojonrn at Paris. and Father de Crest
who had gnided to the Order of the Incnnwte W" 01d,
.J[other :Jforgmet and her companions. The maleYulent interp1etations J)laced lJ})(iH the exte1iol'ly secnlar state of the
Foundre~s, had corne even to theil' ears.
"There was not
011ly ta1k nhont ihis among the eommon people,'' she w1iies)
Jmt it "--ns made the subject of conversation in the prese11ce of .Jlnjt:sties and Eminences, in orde1 that co11tem1Jt
for me frorn the great ones of the l'Hrth might make me
d l'ti de fo p] e;Jse th em ag<t i ust Y 0111 order~, of w hi ch I <1 i <1
L\[anm;c ript of l\Iother de Bly, c h . XIY,

388

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE

~IATEL

not tell thcm. I believed I shonld not tell them, as my

candor was considered as oastfulnesR, by those who did
not know me and who thonght that I spoke too freely
of the lights which it pleases Yon, my adorable Benefactor,
to commnnica te to me. m
\Vith the Jesuit Fnthe1~ in whom she had entire confidence, the good l\[ofer did not need to veil the lirnpidity
of her soul. She disclosed to them all that had been
manifested to her on the course she was taking. They were
unannous in affirming that the1e wns a manifestation of
the divine will as evident as it was cxaordinary. "rrhey
recognized," she says, that those, 0 my Divine Hnler, who
had writteu them that I "as not doing Your divine will,
were ignorant of Your will.'' 2 l\Ioreover, there \Yas now
a proof that among other reasons for this exceptional
guidance of her, the Incmnate \Vord had pnrposed to secure for His nascent Order a p1ovidential aid. This struck
Father de Lingendes especially. '"If ~you had been ound
by the religions profession,'' he said to her, '"you wou ld
not have been able to suppo1t your monastery of Pal'is
during this famine, and neither the m01iaRtery of Lyons
nor that of Grenoble wonld exist any longer, ecnuse you
would have been po\vcrless to act and help them in their
need. l\fother de Bly makes the saine rernmk when S]Jeking of the smn sent by the good )Iother to the honse of
Grenoble to hel p to repair the damages snffered from
the inundation. ~'If she had bcen a 1cligions and dcpeudent on a Superior, he would doubtless not have consented
to lier thus assisting them, especially during wm wlteu
Pvc1v
one was in fcm of bcin
\Yithont bl'ca<l. m

b
At last there eamc negotiations for the peace which
hn<l heen so cmncRtly irnplo1cd y ihe saintly Mother.
'J1l1o~ e who ltn<l hcen fort(d to lcwc thei1 home, con]d not
1<tm11 io i1. H11t f01 11e1, iltP fritl WlS 11oi <'JHlP<l. '111te
111on:udl'l'Y ]1nd :n1ll'<1l<l g-1<ni ly.
l T1g<11t 1<11nfrl-' luld t-o
h<' 111n<l<' hdo1< t li< <.:0111111 \111 i t.r <'Oll l<l c it>im.;ta llt<l. l 11
~ pit<' ol' hc1 O\\'ll <lP~i1p io :--;lrni ]i(1~pll' 11p in it \:--; ~0011
1 , \11togT:1plik
~l hide111.
::: l\l<111u ~ cripl

Lift'. <"h. Cl\''.

.Mcmoir of l\1otl1cr de Bl:-,, cl1, XI\',

l\IONAS'l'ERY OI-1, PARIS.-

'l'lWUBLES OF THE FRONDE

3S9

as possible, the Fonndress had to remain in the city nntil

the ~\scension. She ~vas detained tbere by another sad
n ecessi ty.
During more than six months, a kind of hectic fever
ltad infected the monastery of Grenoble. T'wo Sisters had
died of it and Lucrctia de Bly hacl been attacked by it.
\Yhen the good Mother learned of this, she ordered the
child to be sent to Pads where she arrived on November 1.
'fhe malady was so far from yielding to the remedies
given, that it constant1y increased and, towards the end
of the siege, was complicated by dropsy and hemorrhages
of the lungs. Drs. de la Cham bl'e and Felix, the physicians of the king, were treating her, but lost all hope.
On 3J ay 4, after a consultation, the y decl ared tha t she
conld not live and that her \Yhole system was exhausted.m
Dr. de la Chambre met l\lr. de Priezac at the hotel Sguier
and announced this prognosis. This devoted frierid of tlle
:11-,oundress, knowing how much her heart had to suffer,
immediately set ont to prepare her for the bad news and
exho1t hcr to be resigned to this sacrifice. "I am \Villing
to helieve," she answered, "tha t, according to the rules
of Hippoc1ates, my daughter cannot live, but I do not
give up hope that she will not die from this illness."" \Yhat," he replies, " does the incomparable one (he often
called her by thi.s name) wish to oppose the order of
God who_, acco1ding to all appearances, now \Yishes to
eal1 this chil d back to Himself ?"-"I luwe promised hcr
nnd I have promised her parents that I woulcl give her
1lte habit of the Inearnate \Vord," she answel's, ."I dare
to promise myself that He will not nnsay wlrnt I have
said and that He will leave her to me. I will continue
"eeping at His feet nntil He has cured my da ngh ter.'' 2
The vcnerable ~fother did as slle had said. For tllree
whole days and nights, lier pl'ayel's, teal's, and confidence
\Ye1e 1iterally inereasing. Dnring this time the sick child
had lost consciornmess and eve11 all signs of life. The
infirma1ian, ~lothel' Jeanne of the Passion, belieYed she
11\Ian us c ript M e moir of Moth e r d e Bly, c h. XIV.
~Ibidem.

3DO

LIFI} OF .JE.\NN"rn C HEZAim DE

~L\'l'EL

" a~

dend and p1epmpd a ~lnoud fo1 he1 bminl, lrnt the

patient sndden ly 1egained the nse o{ he1 senses, the fe,Ter
1eft he1, arnl she felt J1p1self to be 1w1fectly cnred. ..As
2\Iother de Hl>ly hp1~elf relntf.:'s: "Al1 who had looked on
me as the prey of death and wl10 110\Y :-;:tw me iestored
to health, gmt;e<l nt rne with an nmnzerne11t likc that of
t hc .J ewR who we1e witnesses of thP 1e:-;1111edio11 of Lnzmns.
'rhis wns fp <':tNC' pspecinlly with J)r. de ln Chnmb1e who
had bee11 called in :ts soon as my inompt cme hn bee11
nssmed. He :rnd the fnm ily of )fr. <le Hos~ignol afte1" ' al'ds a 1wayN ca lled me the "<lead 011e res11seitated.' He
con~dde1ed th:1 t l wonl<l soon be n lJle to hrm the fatigue
of a ride in a caniage to the fanbo1g Sai11t-Ge1main and
f had snch n enwi11g to he home agnin that they took
me thcre immediately.'' 1
'rhre<l wePkN lntll1, Lnc'l'etia de Bly w:ts elothed with
the hol~T li ve1y of the I 11cmnai e W' 01d. She clurnged he1
iwme fo1 thnt of he1 ~oo<l ~Iother and was ealled Siste1
,Jemrne ol' .fesns. D1. de la Charnlne "m~ i1ffited to the
teremon~ . withont h:ffi11g heen told the name of the
pof-1tnlnnt "ho wn:-; io tnkP the 1e]i~iom; habit. " rhen he
Rnw he1 eorne fo1th, hiN nm:u~ement w:ts ~o g1ent thnt he
tonld not Jefrain from Rayi11g alond to the wives of the
Chnncell01, of the ~l:u Nlrnl (lP 'rhonssy, of the ~l:wqnis of
Hoya11, and of the P1e~i<lr11t Cogmlnx who we1e nenr hirn:
" 'rake n p;oo<l look nt th:ti yo1rng lndy. Rhe i~ one who,
illlre week~ ngo, wnN den<l m1d wnN i:tised to life Ly the
p1nyp1~ of ~J othe1 de ~Intel. " 2
Th<\ rnnte11rnl hemt of thr YelH_
--'ntble )fotlw1 l1:td :-;111'fp1ed othe1 s011owN <lming ihe~e ('<llnmitons <lay:-;.
~hl}
JelateR the1n i11 tp1111~ in which he1 ow11 chal'ily and ex ll'Plll<l good1H 1 ~~ ml n<l111i1:thly dPpicte<l. "One thillg which
nt fh:--;t 11101iifi<><l rne," ~he s:1y:-;, "'w:t:-; ih:ti l}l'f:tin pmeniN
iook :l\\'<l,Y 1'10111 ll~ fom ol' Olll' ho:llling )ll1p]N :llld took
off t lie 1i1 j I<' l1:1hi j 1'10111 1wo ot h<'l'N. And :tN Yom ju:-;tic<'.l
ltlN nlwnyN p<1111i(jp<f llwL Ill.Y NOU] Nhonld lw :tl'lidP<l
wlt<ll :tll,\' of 111y bo:11<li11g ]>llp]N \n1e i:tk<JI <l\\':ty, ]>((':lllN<'
1:\l11111:-;<ript l\I P 111oir of l\Jotller ll o Hly, C' ll. X I\'.
:.!Ilii<lcm.

~\lOX _\STEiff OF p _\nJS.- THUl' BLES OF THE FUO:\"lJE

301

lo,l~ cl them ~n temlel'l~ and they wel'e ~o full of g1ltitnde. in ~pite Of tlie l'e~ig nation "\Yhich I fried to feel foW<lJds Y 0111 "\Yll , I "n~ afflkted exeec clingly.
'rhis was
e~pecially the c:lse " hen 1 \Yas at the drnnh foi a sermon
of Fathel' de Cond. and was the1e tohl tliat 011e of my
little unes frum Beanyais was dead. ..:\_s she had no nnrne.
I fearecl that she hacl cliet1 withont baptism. and I kept
her two clnys "\Yithont bminl until he1 mothel' sent me "orcl
from Saiut-Germain-en-Laye. that she had been baptized
aud "\Yas now a little ang:el in Hen~n. and that my care
had kept her on earth sinee the month of D eeember "\Yhen
the hemorrhages from the 1nngs and continua] fever
threatened hel' with death. and that I hacl obliged her
exceeding:Jy by 1eceiYing her when she \Yas in that con 1

clition.~ 1

Yre cmmot hl lp <1ski11g omselYes wlwt the charitable

~Iother mrnld han) clone. if the 1ittle one frum BeanYais
hf1 cliecl \Yithont ha]Jtisrn. ~he "\Yas nnwilling to let her
be lnuied befo1e she 1ec efrecl assm<mees on this point.
' ' 'onld ~he not haYe bee11 mrnlJle to resign herself to kno"ing tlllt the chi1<1 was clep1in~ d of the beatific Yi~ion. and
\Yonld ~he not lune ve1si~t<) cl i 11 l na.Yi ng an cl "\Yeeping a t
The feet of the Incm11ate \Yol'Cl nntil H e hacl permitted
that 1itrle soul t o corne back from death and chink in
from the '"~1te1s of the ~ncrament of regc-ineration supernatural ete1nnl life '! 8he had expe1iencecl tliat the tencleru e:-:s of he1 l>iYine ~pon~e wonlcl iwt iefn~e h el' eYen such
a p1odigy. ~ince. <lt Lyo11~ in 1'i:1:J. tlmrngh he1 1naye1s
He had iai~ed from <l eaf a chilcl nf 11ine year~.~
At that epnch. the1e \Ye1t othe1 qnite cliffp1eut re:-;nnectio ns "\Yhich he1 tem:-; \Ye1e to ohtaiii. They "\Ye1e to lning
back, not to nn tmal lift\ hn t to the ~ll }Jern a tn!_al religions
life othe1 Yc 1y <lem chilfhen wlwm ~ntan "\Yshecl tn steal
1

iAutogTaphic Life , ch. CIY.

:? Thi s miraculous fact is recon1 e11 by ~Iot h er d e Bly ( ~Ianuscript.
2n r:1 part. ch. XLYI). She asserts that she learnecl it from persans
who were worth~ of belief. "I l e arnecl it in 1663. from the lips of
our worthy Founclress. and also se Yeral o ther miraculous eyents whi c h
she di me the honor of conficl i ng to m e while she exhor t ed me in
wo!cls fu ll of f erYor to recognize wi th her th e grea t fa Yors wh ich th e
(1iYine Gooclne!"s hacl besto\Yed upon her . .,

392

LIFE OF

JE~\.NNE

CHEZAilD DE 1\IA'l'EL

mnly frorn her.

'Yhile the c;omnrnnity was ont of the
monaste1-y, two postn1ants had lost 1elish for their vocai ion. Tt sPemed tlrnt ferr \Y:lR nothin: 1eft hnt to expel
them as incapable of inofi t-i11g from the g1ace which had
been offered them. Bnt this seve1ity was jmpossible for
the heart of the good l\fother. She prayecl and hoped in
~pite of a11, and she obtained fol' them such lively so1:row
for their infidelities, that for forty days, with tears and
sighs, they begged for the ieligions habit from the Fonn<1ress, the Mother Assistant miel the l\Iistress of Novices.
l\fother de Matel's consolation was nnhonnded. Her own
description of their repentance and of hrr longings for
their sanctificatjon, are likc a song of ham>iness and tellderness. "1"hey appear to be wafted nlong by onr Spirit.
Plabit spiritus ejus et fluent aquae. Qui auunntiat Vc,r bnm
sitmn Jacob). justitias et judicia sua Israel. "His wind shall
blow and the \vaters shall run. He declareth His word
to Jacob and His justices and judgments to Israel.m l\Iay
they ever remember that Your Spirit does not do for an
who resh;;t His graces and tbeir own vocatiou, the favor
which Re has donc to them and which binds them donbly
to make a good use of the double grace which they have
ieceived. ~T on fecit taliter omni nationi et jmlicia sua non
11wJ1ifcstavit ris. _,_ l/lc711ia! Alleluia! "He hath not donc
thns to eve1y nation an<l He hath not manifestcd His jndgments to them. A11e1nia ! Alleluia !"2
''On the day of the Octave of tlte Kings, 1650, one of
tltesc postulnnts ieeeiYed the holy habit. 0 my l )]vine
Havi01, I bL)seech Yon thnt she may hem from Yonr merry
wlwt Yonr Father said to Yon in sict jm~tiee: Behold
l\fy we1l-hPlo\red dangltter in whom lw11ceforth I will hc
well please<l ! l\foy Your Ifo1y Rpfrit lead lier into the
<le~ci1t of ho1y religion.
l\Iay Yom g1ace there so a:4sist
het tltn t she will be victo1ious oye1 all her enemies mid
that, at the ci1Hl of lifc which is the going ont from the
<lcse11-, she rnay be worthy to be <1ecornp<mied hy Y 0111
11oly t11gels mHl io be prcscn1cd to Yon hy t-hern, elcm1sed
1 P s.

CX LYJJ , l 8- l!J.

2 lbid Pm,

~o.

.l\IOK~\STEHY 011' PARIS.-'l'UOUBLES OF' 'l'IIE FRO~DE

393

from a11 de:filement, so that Yon wil1 receive lier as Your

well-beloved spouse and say to her: Sponsabo te mihi in
artcrn u m. "I W'ill esponse thee to )lyself forever. '' 1
''The other postulant seeing that she had done in wil1
what the prodigal son had done in act, by asking to go
to a country far frorn Y our honse where Your love brings
fo1th a sanctity beoming to Your daughters, made the
air Jesonnd with lier sobs and wails. She kept clinging
to my feet until love for Yon and my materual affection
for her, ~tooped down to he1, and kiRsing her I raised
he1 np wHh tenderness. I prayed the angels to praise
You in their ang:elic w01ds. I iirdted a11 my daughters
to corne and pmticipate in the joy of seeing her corne
back to the happiness she had wished to throw mvay, in
her ignorance of the precipke over which she was going
. to cast herse If, because one abyss calls on another abyss
when we quit the vocation to which Your Roly Spirit
has ea11ed us. She received the holy habit on the day
of the octave of Your glorious Resnrrection. Grant, 0
Lord, that she may be clothed "Tith the strength and g1ace
which aie the beanty that Yon love in Yonr spouses.'~
r:rhe Incarnate 'Yord was nmv to make use of the f-laintly
Mother to en}ighten and sustain another vocation.
On
~larch 20, 1640, feast of St. Joachim , He enraptured her
in a sublime ma11ne1 m1d made known to her that the
time \nrn corne to aecomplish Ris designs upon ~fr. de la
Pimdire. He says to her: " I have selected thy son to
serye Me in the dignity of the priesthoocl. I wi11 take
off his worlclly dless and clothe him in the sacerdotal
vestments. N either Satan nor all the contradictions of
men will be able to hinder My designs upon him.m
A few days afterwards, a messenger announcecl to
?other de )fatel that )Iaclame de la Piardire 'Yas extreme1y ill, and that althongh she was still young she was
uearing the eml of lier life, and that she 'vished the soul
of a saint to eome and iwepare hers to appear before Gocl.
2

10see II , 19.
~A utogl'aphic

Life, c h. CVI.
3Ibidem, ch. X .

30-i

LIFE OF .JEAXXE CHEZARD DE

~IA 'l'IDL

~\lthongh

the g1ent lrnmrnty of :J[ndnme de ]a Piardi1e

hnd kept he1 in a Rtate of eontempt fo1 he1Relf, her virtne~
hnd 1wtdl he1 fp ndrninltion of a]l. She was a Yietirn
of he1 owll zenl i11 g;1tht'l1i11g the ]lOm of her pal'ish foi
tht1i1 Pnselwl (onfo:--;:-;i011 :md <~01111mmiou, and she \Yns ('Ollsm11ed n~ n l1olocarn.;t of eo1pond and :-;pi1itnal merey." 1
.Ak \H-' lrnow, t11e Fom1<11e~s kept the ('loi:-;te1 as if she
hnd hrPn honml to tlo RO lJy ihe religion:-; p1ofeR:-;ion, but
he1 grntitnde fm the affeetio11aie hospitnlity \Yhich she
had 1Peein_.d dmi11g: the ~iege of the eity~ eonhl 11ot 1efuse thr :-;np1c111P eonsolat-ion whith wa:-; uow songht. She
" ' ns e<qn:'1ly ;nynited hy all thnt mom11i11g honf.:ehold. :Jfr.
de . 1:1 Pinidit.'-1e hoped that she won ld obtai11 from He;1Yen
the cmp of his Yi1tllons wife, the mothe1 of hiR foui' smnl1
e hild1eu. ~
He mged the sni11tly :Jfothe1 to ask thiR g1nee
f1orn Onr Lor<l. nnt lt was 11ot in acco1da11ce with the
plm1 of the l >iyi1w :Jfnste1-. '!10 the eaniest petition of
the !;ood ~lothe1, afte1 Holy C"ommnni011, <)m Lonl iepli ed: ''11,,01 a l011g iime you have lrnown tlrnt Rhe is to
die hef01e l1t1 lrn:-;b:rnd. J r sl1e does noi die, the IIo1y
Ohost will noi <lPSC('JHl lq1011 hi111, and he will Hot become
a p1iest. 't\~]] l1im that sl1e \Y]] <lie of ihis illness." 3 Rhe
i11fo1rne<l ~fr. de 11 Pimdin of this divine dec1ee~ hnt
i e<l to ponr i11to hi~ wom1<kd hc:ut the balm of the co11 :-;oln t io11 s of the faith , rnd she 1norni:-;e<l the pions depmti11 g s01 1l who wjshed to sprnk 1-o no one hnt he1 and God,
t11~1t ~ he wonld wntch oye1 lho:-;e whorn she ]pft hehill(l i11
thi s w01ld. .\t the rn0111c->11t ilwi ihis hltNSP<l :--;onl entered
i11to Pte11lity, fp gon<l Jloihp1 kur": of the wekome she
ihPI'P 1p(t>ive<1. " Yon l'(:'teivcd ht~i in a 111mmer which l
ea1111<>i- <lese1ihe," shP \\Tit-ts. "mHl I :-;ni<l to her fol' Yon :-1
\ ' <'11i, <'l<'f'fa 111<'ff, <'f JJ0110111 in f<' tl1ro11u111 111c1un . " Come
. \ fy ('hOS('ll ()JI(\ ;rnd ll tltP(l l wi11 pl;H'P Jly t-111011e.'' '
1

1. \ ulog r a phi c L if e . c h . X.
\Ve 1 c l hl 'l'l' :-;0 11 :-;, th e e1d es l o f whnm lat e r l H' c am e a li e u t e nant o f tl 1e guar d !'; o r lli e Kin g' s h)'(1th e r ; on e <la11 g l1t e r . l\lari e <1 e
];1. Piard itr e , whom w e !'; )rnl) sc e gT o win g 11p un(l c r tll e c ar e of l\'lo t h e 1
<l e lVT;tt e J an d rna1Tyi n g- Mr . d e Nn rrni x <l e C ll n rnpi;n~ . g-ov e rno1 of
Cana d a . (No t e!:-1 o f Mo lli e r <l e B ~ ly .)
:: J\ li t () gTa p li i c L i f e. ('. il . (' V 1.
:.!T l 1e r e

.q l> i<l e 1n .
;, 1t o m an Drc via ry .

:.\IOX .\STElff OF' PAnlS.-

TIWUBLES OF TIIE FIW~Dl~

:J95

Jiothe1 de :Jiatel was uot the 0111.r one who co11templ<liefl the gloiy of Jladame de la Pinnli1e:-; soul. Onr
Lo1d seeme<l to take as m11d1 cme to rnake he1 sanctity
shine fol'th afte1 Jip1 death as !'-lhe he1s<-lf had taken to
hide her Yirtues and good w01ks d111in; he1 l ifc. After
!'-lhe hnd cxpil'e<1, tlie FomHlress said to Siste1 Frances
(h<ffie1: "This i:--: <l saint." "Yon nre <1nick at cnnonizing."
answered the Siste1. rrhe uext day, after Sh.;ter Frances
G1avie1 lrnd received Commnnion, the venerated deceased
lPJH:~med to he1 e11veloped in sple11dor, elothed and crowned
"'ith incomparnl>le magnificence, and followed by a multitude of l>le~sed spil'its. She w as comiug from the place
whe1e the :Jfothe1 Fonndiess " 'ns, to that in which the
11ions donbter wn:-; praying. rrhis lllll'''elons frinmph clid
not entfrely con dn('e he1'. She said to herself, ""this glo1y
_is too g1m1cl fol' a womnn who wns neithe1 a vi1gin nor
n mal'tyr, but would efit :Jiother de :JI a tel.. ,
'rllile ma king these 1etlections she heanl the follow i 11 g wmd~: ""To n<lmH thi~ Cl'eatnn\ God does uot need
to exhanst the inmieasmnble emmres of His glory. He
has infinite lesomees fo1 ~mnls whom He wiRhes to Ranetify
throngh Hi~ gooclne~s and thei 1 co11esvu1Hle11ee with the
grnceR wh idi He gi \'es th<-m.'' 1 Jiother de :JI a tel. seeing
lier see1etmy proJ011ging he1 thauk:-;giving: heyond the usual
time, ai11 nonehes aml fimls he1 looking bewildered. Sister
Frauces ask~, "Jlother, haye yon seen :Jiadmne de la Piardi1e in g101y?"-Yon slimv gn_)at (miosity in asking
sueh a q11e~ti011 afte1 ha\'i11g l>ecu so sfrenrnrnR in rcjeeting the OlTlll'l'ellces of yPste1cln.v eveniug. " 2 rr~1e Sister
insists as she is conYinced ihnt the trinmphal col'tege eoming, as H did, from the cli1edio11 of the Fonrnhess, must
haYe been seen by he1. The :Jf o1 her ohse1ves that he1
clnughte1's 1ooks :ne exaol'dirnwily 1<- l'Ol lecte<l as well
as deevJy pnzzled, and slH knows that this is a sig:n of
her haYing had frne YiRi011s. She wi~h<-1 (1 to lrnow wha t
hacl ean~ed her to be in thi~ state, and the Sister related
"'hnt she had see11. He1 soul hnd stnyed clinin0'
e e to these
1

1Autographic Lif e, ch. CVI.

2lbiclem.

39G

LIFE OF' JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\1ATEL

\\?ouderfnl sights," adds the :Mother, "and was like that

of ihe Apostles on Mt-. Olivet when, upou the day of Your
glo1ious Ascension, Yon sent to withdraw them from their
\Yonderment, the augels \Yho said to them: Vfri Galilaei
quicl statis aspicicntcs in coelwn? 1 "Ye men of Galilee, why
do you stay here lookiug up into the sky ?2 As a confirmation of the reality of these visions, Sister Frances Gravier
was~ from that moment, cured of a malady which had
cansed her frequent and dangerous spells of fainting. 3
For l\fr. de la Piardire, the heavenly glory with which
the blessed deceased had been surronnded, wns a compensation for the sacrifice which had been demanded of
him, but it was also a proof that God had imposed it
through love, in order to accomplish the designs of special
P1ovidence u pou him. ':t"hese designs were too merciful
not to arouse the fnry of the demons, and too extraordinary
not to provoke the contradictions of men. N othing of all
this was lacking. l\fothe1 de Matel, who was used by
Our Lord as an instiument to bring this work to an end,
had her own plentiful share in these ibulatious. To
sustain ber in these combats, God strengthened her powel"~ by a sel'es of sigrn.tl favors.
He elevatecl her aboYe
the miserable intrigues of earth, to inehriate her with
heavenlv beatitnde. \Ye cnnnot follow her in these marvelons ascensions, but shall cite one.
On the feast of St. l\lichael, September 20, 1G50, the
Fonndress was admitte 1 a sublime rapture, to the cont emplation of the excellence contained in the phrase: \Vho
is as Ood ! which became the nmne of this fhst of the faithful. Her soul, filled with admiration, kept repeating:
M iclwcl? quis ut Deus? 1ll iclwcl) quis ut Deus? \Vith ineff:t hle C'Oul'tesy, that magniftcent pl'llce replie<l with all
lAutographic Lifr. c !J. C VI.
2Ac ts l , II.
3Mr . d'Archambaut, a broU1 e r of Madame de la Piardire and
gen tl e m a n in waiting of th e King, b e li e vecl that lie s:iw a. sign ot'
the g lor y of his s ist er. \Vll e n sh e was br ea thing h er last, h e co ul<l
not h c~u to look on h e r as she w:i s dying, and, retir ing to the next
room, fell as l eep . SU<Jenl y h e w:is awakenecl })y th e sight of :in
a n g-01, rohe<l in g il<l c <l ye llow arnl lc a <lin; :1 worn:in.. who was <lr es se<l
i n a lon g white rol>e of n.. r e ligion s . H e immecliatc> l y :irose and WPnt
tn the> ll< <l si<fo o f l1i s s i s t (' r . Sl! e h:icl jusl ex pirr<l.

:..\IOX_\ST11JRY 011, p_\JUS.-THOUDLES OF rl'HE FRONIJID

397

ihe m1gels: J('8u) amor meus! .Jrsu. amor meus! and all
the Bl0ssPd and all the ec-hoeR of Heaven repeatecl: .Jesn.
flJJtor m<' ll 8! the clevice of the venerable l\Iother, inscribed
on her he:wt and OIL that of lier clanghters. 'rhis celestial
symphony tlnev" bel' into a raptnre growing ever more
profon n d. Her sonl, after Jrnving heard this heavenly concert, won hl have desired nen~r to corne back to earth
or to be occupied with the thought of anything but God.
She said to St. l\fichael: 'For fully three 3rears I have
been cook. I conld well be relieved of the bnrclen of
this office, to be employecl only in the contemplation of
the divine mysteries. 'rhe angels seemed to be in consultation as if assembled in chapter, and concluded in harmony
wilh the Blessed that I should be kept and confirmecl in
the oftke of cook in the honse of the Incarnate \\r ord,
.since they themselves, for fo1ty years, had prepared and
given mmrna to the people of Israel in the desert.m The
good ~lother having corne back to herself, went to continue the humble labors which procured for her the advantages, which are here below greater than the favors
of enjoying the delights of IIeaven, of hmnbling herself
and snffering for Gocl.
'rl1e criticisms aroused by the outwardly secular state
in which the Divine ~Iaster wished her to remaiu, had not
ended. Ce1tain deyout persons, whm.;e lights were not
eqnal to their zeal, had strange anxieties abont her. Not
only were they troubled at her not wearing the religions
garb, but they were alarmecl at seeing so mm1J Jiaye recourse to ber lights. What w'"ould become of he1~ recollection in the miclst of suh a con course, or of ber lrnmili ty
muid consultations by such eminent personages? It was
known that prelates and other pions and learned men
listened to her words as oracles. As many as five bishops
hacl been seen in her parlor at once,. The vocation of ~fr.
de la Piardire discoverecl a11d encouraged by her, brought
their malice to a climax.
The persons who assumed the mission of controlling
the actions of the Foundress, were remarkable for their
1A.utographic Life, ch. CVII.

398

LIFE OF JE.\.NNE CI-IEZAnD DE J:\IATEL

zPal in tlit~ 1nHdicc of chal'ty. 'l'he vencrablc l\I. Olie1

emp]oyed them lS nsefnl m1xilimies in Ids wmk for the
rege11e1aiion of his own vast pmish. He had orgnnized
meetings iu whieh they eonld deliherate 011 affairs to be
accomplished. The inctended iisks 'Yhich l\1other de Matel
must be nmning soon became. the matter of their debates.
'1'hey asked themselves if it ,ye1e not time .to stimulate tbe
zeal of theii- worthy rast01, wjth regard to l\fother de
~Uatel whose c01weiit was in his paiish.
Such " ' lS the f WSs to \Yhid1 things had corne when an
unfo1eseen incident happened which strongly confirmed
their 1e~ol re. Foi the feast of the I mmaculate Conception, Decem cr 8, 1 t151, tlle priest who had been saying
dai1y l\Tnss in the monasteiy chapel and hearing the confessions of the tommnnity, is asked to preach the sermon
of the d:ly. He takes as his text the "'ords: Nigra swn
srd formo8a. "I am black but beautiful." 1 From this the
poor ~Iothe1 nndel'stands that he is going to speak against
the sac1ed p1ivilege of the divine Queen, that privilege 011
whieh God lrns communjcated to her snch vivid lights and
w-hich He has ordered her to inculcate with all the means
jn he1 pO)Yel' aud which all the religions of ber Orde1
make a JH'Omise to honor. W"hen 8he has heard several
1imes that ~[a 1y contraeted the stain ol' original. sin, hel'
heart lrn1sts with sadness and her tems ftow in torrents.
Her daughte1s ~hare her pain.
After the se1mon , they came and gronped themselves
mound he1 in sonowfn l silence: .. rrhey Jeniained near
me speecldef:s," she says, ""like the frie11<ls of .Job when
they tfr:-;t saw liis 1wof01rnd disfre:-:s. ..A~ ~oon as I coul<l
express my sonow. I f4pkl to tl1ern w01ch.; which Jeduced
t he111 to rny o wn Nta t <' of Nn fferi ug:-.;, and 1 otfp1ed my:-.;el f f01
a11 kinllN of to1rnp1tf s to llllke Nliisfoetion 1o om all pntc,
tll 1Jea111if'n1, lll ll1g11st P1incp:--~ 'd10 eoul<l 11ot l1nYe,
lll<l Jw~ 110t lt:Hl, llJ<l m,e1 will hl\'<1 lll,Y shliu; l1Hl who
li \N heen llHl wi l l Jip f 01 d 1 et<~1'll i ty, the a ll 1m 1e l'.1ea tmc
1o 1ecein~ the J >i,'i11e \\"01<1 '. 1 onle1P<l i Jip111 lll, in gen-

.\IOX .\.STlfY OF l' .\.H IS.- -TTIOUBLES OF' 'J'HE FIWXDE

3!)!)

en11 and in pnrticula1, to make with myself an net of

1epnration to our Immaculnte :Jlother for all the insnlts
offel'ed he1 in onr ehnreh and from onr pulpit and to
ienew the Ymn..; wh ili they hnd made eYen before om
establishment, to defend. at th e eost of thefr liYes, the
honor of he1 Immacnlate Conception." 1
:Jfr. de la Pimdi<~r e was IJresent at the sermon. He
"as thrown into a sfate of consternai ion and com1seled
:Jfother de )Intel to file a eomplaint against that preacher.
He atD.111wd that no oihe1 1~ 1igions of that p1iest's 01de1
would haYe JH"es1mH~ (l to :--:ay to one indiYidual in p1ivnte
what he had daied to pren eh in public. The good ::\Iother
preferre<l to ndmo11ish him priYately. 'l'he next day she
expressed the ]>1i11 that h<Hl heen cansed b~ his preaching. She told him tlwt. with the approyal of prudent
and lemiled men, she mHl ht>r danghters were pleclged
to hon 01 the I rnrnaen 1Me Coneeptio11 of the :Jiother of
the Inemnate ".,.01<1. Hrnl tlrnt they lind a dnty to hon01
and defeml it. ~he heg:~ hirn not to make them desist from
theI' ohligHtion. Her "onl~ Jaise a ,iolent storm. T,he
Fnthe1 beeornef.i fmions <md ~tigmatize~ as ignorant men
those who lrnd pennitted sneh a Yow, and treats the hnmhle ~Iother 'dth eyeu g1en ter severity. Rhe feels no bitte1ne~s from these ] J er~on nl in~nlts and dnes not speak of
them. He1 011ly pa1 i~ from the iwmlt to the priYilege
of he1 diYine Qneen.
Snch 'yas not the ecmr:-e of the nnl'o1-tnnate pread1e1.
He is stung by lier admoui1 innP, tnkef" n iesolution to ruin
Mother de ~ratel, ancl gnes to lll<l eommon cause 'Yith
the indiYiclnals " ho disnpp1oye of her conduct. In the order
of affail's 0Ye1 '"hich th(.Y haYe arrogated the right of
surveillance, the opinion of the eommnnitys confessor is
of capital im1J01tanee aml ~eems to jnstify all their suspitions. 'l'hey p1m1 mlnsmef.: to l"<--'llll'd.' these imaginmy
e\'ls. "'h:lt appe<us to them of the greatest mgen~y. i~
lo prenHt J[1. ch 1~l Pial'cli1e from being ordained nnle~s
he ienomu<>~ his i11i(11ti011~ of placi11g his pde~thood nt
1

JAnto~Taph i c

Life , c h. CX ll.

400

LIF'E

01 1~

JE.ANKE CHEZ.A.RD DE l\IATIDL

the se1Tice of the Incarnate "'\Yord. \Vith his high estimate

of the lights of the Fonndress, if he ever becomes its director, there will be no hope of making her quit -the way
in which she i s walking.
'l'hese re:Jsons 1iYith thei1 nppearances of 7.eal, could deceiYe those who juclgecl the matter from hearsay, but not
ihose "~ho kne1iY those upright and holy souls. Thus the
YenerabJe l\I. Olier cou 1<l be :filled with clistrust for a while,
but Rf. Vincent de Paul, nncler whose direction l\lr. de la
Pianli&re was 1n-epaiing for the recepti.on of IIoly Orders,
di<l not h esitate to permit him to receive them. l\fother de
2\Iatel relates that it was from the hands of that Saint that
2\fr. de la Piardit\re received the ecclesiastical habit. "It
was on the feaRt of St. "l\latthias," she writes, "that he was
c1othrd 1iYith the ecdesiastical habit by the hands of St.
Yi11ceut, the wol'thy fmmder of the Mission and foundation
stone of ma11:y holy priestf.; who adorn his congrcgation and
mnny dioeeses.'' 1
Less than a rnonih lnter, the pions aspirant was a priest
and on the feast of St. Joseph, l\Iarch 10, 1G53, he celelnated h is fhst l\I as ~ in the chapel of the monastery, which
the Incarnate \Yonl ti-arn~formecl into a paradise of delights. "Dn1ing that clelip:htfnl l\Iass," relates the happy
:\Iother, r felt a peace and joy which snrpass all underNtanding. I invited all the henvenly eonrt to descend with
its Pontiff nnd King "\Yho deignPd to he 1weRent on the altm
at tlte voice of that ne'y prieRt." 2 God ponrecl into hi~ Ronl
!'m eh liJ it all(l happine:-;s thnt the enl'th mHl e YPll the alim
<li~app0nred from his enraptnred gaze.
'rh e time paf.;~e<l
too quiekly fo1 him , but the nu11w1ons assisfant~ we1e
l~hmish e d nt the ]eugth of the l\'lasf.;. 8
'r11 e <lnys whi ch followe cl the accomplif.;]rn1cnt or ~o mmiy
Jnom iscs " 'lt iclt hnd appe:ne<l impoNsil>le of Jenlizn t ion,
hro11gld thP goo<1 ~lothe1 Rigmll fanm.;.
)fost ol' the1
IP1HlP<l io p1ppare Jip1 fo1 s11lfo1ings. J)ming lfoly \Ye<>k,
L \ u t o g' a phi< L if<~. e h . C X \ r.
:!fliidern, ch. CXVI.

::,\ mong tllo~<' ])}' f~~(>IJt WCl'C Uw wife or th e C ha11 ce llor Sguier.
l\lr. :1 1Hl 1\1rs. <le C h :1ss01>rns; the wil'e nf tl1 c Pr<'Sfknt '1'11ho e uf : th e

tlll'C'l' son s of l\ l r. <l e .la Pianli<rc , a11 othcr mcmlJcrs of I1i s fnmily .

iUON ASTifY O.I!' P ~\.IlIS.-TilOUDLES _OF' THE FilONDE

401

Onr Lord associated her with the sorrowful and glorions

f4tates of His own most holy soul. " 'Yhile the sorrows of
death besieged me,'' sbe says, ""and the pains of hell pursned me, entering my soul and . sinking it in nrnd and mire,
the superior pm-t beeame Jike an eagle gazing on the sun.
It berame a11 b1ightness and by reverberation cansed light
to ~hine forth in lum10ns words declaring the mysteries
of our faith as if I lrncl read them in the book iu which all
is wri tten. ~rhe Lamb \Yho was slai11 opened the seals and
spoke tlnongh my mouth. I vrns possessed by tlrnt Gocl 'Vho
was aH foi me to be all things to me, Re made me pnss from
death to life aud wrought in me that woncler which I ca11
eall my Pasch and which "Tas His, His loye urging Him to
Jise again in me who was as one dead hy the participation
or comm1111ica tiou of His own loving dea th.m
Sorne da}TR Iater the Divine ~faste1 remincled he1 that
she hacl often asked fat she might suffer contempt, pain,
and poYeriy for His love. These desires were so agreeable
to llim tha t Ile assnred he1 that ''even if she asked the lrnlf
of His Ki11gdom, He " Tas ready to give it to her.' ' She ieplied, 'T ask of Yon nothing but sufferings on en.l'f." 'l'he
1)friue King answe1ecl, '"they have heen l\fy Kingdom dnl'ing
~ly m01tnl life, at the end of which I reeeiYed the crow11
whieh e11te1ed deeply inio )Jy head. Since thon desirest
thi~ portion in this life_
, I share it with thee.~''.2
Rhe did not hmTe long to 'nlit to see the confirmntiou of
the~e words.
On April 21, 1G52, the thinl Hm1day after
Easter, dnring lier mo111iHg llH?<litntion shc heais: 'J'hc
danghtee of Juda is condenmed ~.. She inqnires, ''Denr
Lord, who will be my Daniel'?'' "~Iy claughter, I l\lyself.'' 3
'rlrns fo1ewarned she seud:-; to l>eg Fathe1 Morin of the Orato1y to (orne to spPak to he1.4 He is astonished at being
ealled 011 a Sunny aHd goes irnmediately to ascertain what
aphic Life, c h . CXVI 1 r.
'.2Autographic Life, ch . CXlX.
3Ibiclem.
-!The .A bbot of Crisy wl10 was t he official 11mtec t o1 uf the munastery in virtue of his o ffic e of clel ega t e fl Supe1inr, was not in Paris.
Tlw Abb de la Piarcli(re was also absent on a mission in Tourain e,
tllrough the plannings of tho se wllo lm.cl llad him r emoYed to a distance from l\1other d e Ma tel.
1.A utog1

402

LH'E OF

.TE ~\.XXE

C HI<JZ~\.RD

~IATEL

DE

nl'p;ent rnnttel' hacl fo1:e d he1 to ~mHmon him. 'rhe l\fother

imp:utR to him what she has hearcl dming her meditation~
\Yith011t h er being able to know the Romce of this condenmaiion. fndeecl she lrns heard that cp11ain devotee~ had assemhl e d to devise means t o hind e r the servi<:es which ~1.
de ln Piardire \Yishes to r ende1 to h e 1 rnonaste1y. lmt she
thinks t here (':111 b e (JlleStiou OHly of this.
Fath e r ~I01in wns better informecl. 'l'he mea~me~ taken
by the conrn.rnuity 's ehaplain in conseqnence of h~ sermon, had corne to his know]edge. Ile \Yas telli11g her the
fa c ts when sh e received a note. from a gentl eman friend.
inf01ming lier thnt, whHe passing in front of the ehnrch
of Raiut - Rulpice~ h e had learned that a pastor m1d two
Peclef.;iast ies were comiug to annonnce a cnnonic:ll Yisitatiou. H e begg:e(l her to tell him if tltnt Yisitation hnd
heen imposed 11po11 h e r 01 if she he1self lrnd l"e{p1ested
it-. 'J'lte ~f oil1el' <lid no t luwe tirnci to answer thi~ qnesThe dsito1s aniyed and clemancled nn andi enre.
tio11.
Rltf f-.\;1y~ to Fatltp1 )[min: ~l'his is the nccomplishme nt of
whnt w;1~ a11no1111 cPd to rne clnl'iug rny meditation thi~
1l l 01 'l l i l l g'. ' l
'Phis \Yns i11d<-(l<l the < n~e. 'rhm1k~ to the i11trig1ws of
" hi cli 'n: nlrendy lrnow. the \y01thy )f. Olie1-. rngecl to
l'PlH efly th e alms<)~ exi:.;.;ti11: in hiN pariRh , hncl aRkecl th e
Pl'ior of the .. \hlHy of Rni11i - G<-~111win t o 1Hstitnte the
p1o(eNs foi thP em1011 kal ,~ j~itntion of thP mowt~ie1y. Dom
Pl1cidP Ho11~~Pl had gin: n thi~ eonrnlRRion to "l. . . \lwlly.
l 1)oci01 o f th e R01honne, m1<l pa~tor of Ra i11LJ o~~e . I t
wn~ l1P who 11nw prefo'ented him~Plf in e<m1pm1y with hYo
n~~n: :--:01 :--:.
"1 reeeiYP<l th<lm with <'Yiliiy :md re~ved- : '
1 <>hltP~ ll1P n -' Hc1nhl c Fomul1(l~s, "Hrnl fo.;ienf'<l t o th e n11 1101111 cPlll P1lt of th<> Yi~it:ti ion io wh ih I ~nhrnitte(l, 1ecall i11g tlit 1- Yon , nltho11gl1 i11110<11I. l1t<l wi~hefl h> 1111de1go
i11 t( lJTog-:dio11:--: 1'10111 You1 P11P111ie:--:, witl1011 t h<>i11g nnde1
<Il l y o b l g <l i j o 11 i o !"li ff <1 t 11<' ll l , ; l 11 <l th <l t Y 0 ll h H d NH <l i O
l1illl wlio ju<lg<'d Yo11, if ii- WPI'P no(- gi ven hirn frn111 oH
Ji joli ))( wmil<l l1mp 110 JIOWPI ". 1 lNk< <l 110 <lPl:l\'
. of' ilte
~

l.\u t o gTaphi c Lif'P, l' li . C'X I X.

)IXASTEilY OF' P.AilIS.-

'l'IlOCilLES OF 'l'HE FHOXL>E

403

YisitHtiou, altho11gh J had notif'ed from the 1e(t<ling of the

conrn1ission granted. that it "a~ to la~t- for n yem." 1 It
was agreed that the d:-;itntion :-;honld commen<e two days
la ter. Tne~day, ~\ pril 23.
The 1frst thonght of the saiutly --'lother '"hp11 s;he saw
herself in a manne1 ~alled to jndgment, "as to remember
her adorable Savior cited before the tribunal of men. This
thonght never left he1-. EYery moment she expeded some
new'" mnik of her o "}n painfnl iesem bhmce to Him. She
asked he1self if one of heT own danghters "onld not imitate the faithlessness of Rt. Peter and pel'liaps e,en the
tl'eason of Judas. ...:\las. this p1esentiment 'n1s only too
well fonndecl. One of the Sister:-;, whose offices of sncrista11
and pol't1ess lrnd ]Jla ..ed he1 in close ~ontad with the
chaplain, had been imbned with his inejndices agaim;;t the
.Fonndress. She hnd learned, in confidence. of the plot~
"hieh were being con eoeted against her. I nstead of diselosiug them; she hnd dissembled them and had taken every
opportmlit:r to enlogize that religions, for hi~ recollection
and mortification. l t "as due to her testimony that the
good ~Iothe1 had not asked for his iemon1l after his disconrse 011 the Immacnlate Conception. The ]nolonged con
ve1sations of this Fathe1 with the portress hnd heen observed by some of the Sisters, who had angnred no good
1The following a re the 1.erms of this do c ument as w e fincl it pre served in the national archives: "To the Reverencl Fa.ther in God, IvI.
AbdlY. Doctor of the Sorbonne, and Pastor of Saint-Josse of this
c i ty of Paris, greeting:
" In vie"\v of the knowledge which we hav e of your probity and
of your abili ty in ecclesiastical and spiritual ma tt e rs, as also in order
to satisfy the obligations of our office and knowing in par.t icular th
needs of the monastery es tablished some years ago in the territory
unrler our jurisdiction, under the adoralJle title of the Incarnate \Vord
and the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, we have commissioned you
and by these presents do commission you. to make a visitation of the
said rligious. both in spirituals nnd in t e mporals. and to tak e the
time whi ch shall be needecl for this during th e present year dating
from these pr ese nts. For this purpos e we give you a ll th e necessary
power usual in visitors of religious women. and we revoke every contrary power hertofor e given by ourselves or by our predecessors.
a nd we promise to holcl all your decisions as if. in fact. they had
ben ordered by ourselves. In virtue of holy obedience we command
the aboYe nam e cl Superioress and religions to re ce ive. recognize, ancl
ob12y you in the said quality of visitor and to dis c lose to you everything necessary for you to understand the condition of their monastery and for you to order what you shall judge necessary, in justice
and in reason." (National Archives of Saint-Germain des Prs. Spiritual Juriscliction. L. L. 113 8. April 3. 1652.)

404

LIFE OF .JE.\.NNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

from them aud hac] reported them to the Founclress. Bnt

hcr own straight-forward disposition prevented ber from
sharing the suspicions of th e othe1s. She had even redoubled her care and affection for this poor dupe, who
had be~n smitten with dropsy from the moment when she
hacl swerred from the tidelity which she mYed to ber venerable l\lother.
This proclamation of a visitatjon, which manifestly had
not been ordered merely as a matter of routine to conform
to the laws of the Council of 'rrent, opened the eyes of all
to the faults of that culprit. But at the same time it
showed forth with admirable brilliancy the humble Mother's
eharity. She e.ffnsively embraced her faithless danghter
and said to her: '' Too many witnesses constrain me to
belieYe what I "\Yas unwilling to suspect, and they convict
you of having betrayed me. But they cannot prevent me
from p1otecting yon and no one shall give you any pen ance."1
'rhe l\lother's heart crnshed with sadness and tende1ncss, solaced Hself in abnndant tears. Tben the portress_,
wl10 had been blinded by protestations that nothing ha
been sought but the good of th e honse, acknowledged and
hitterly deplored her fault. 2 ''She Ioudly confessed," writes
the good :Mother, 'that she had offended You by following
the couusels which that Father had given her against l\I.
de la Piardire and myself, connsels against Yon, rny Lord
and my God." 3
\Yhile acti vely oecupying herself with preparing for
the vi~itation, the pions lover of the Incarnate TVord did
1wt Jose ~ight of her ado1able l\lodel. \Yhile wnsted with
fatigue she rccall(~ that, according to St. I.,uke, " falli11g
i11to nn ago11y Ho pro]onged His prayer ;" sbe wished to
imiiate llim . Jle Himself made the resemblance more
eomplctc. F01 th1ec hours He left her a prey to the sad
irnp1p~~ionR whieh were natnrally caused by the mistrust11\utographi c Life . c li. CXTX.
2 \Ve lia V ( '
l>e fon ou r e y e s the let ter which tllis SistC'r wrote th e
(' ]J , 1pl<li11 an<l i11 wl1icll s ll e ex p rcss ('s li e r ROlTOW a n<l r epe nt:ince. It
i s cl;1 te<l M :1 y !i. J fi fi 2. \V e giv e i t a mo n g the (locunwn ts. Note JJ.
:1 ,\11to g n1phi c

l ,,if 0 . clJ. <1 XfX.

~ION~\STElff OF P~\RIS.-TROUBLES OF THE :B'RONDE

405

fnl measmes against her. ''Yon left me to my own weakness, to the terrors and fems of the inferior irnrt, while
Y ou took possession of the su perior and gnarded it as the
onjon-keep where You remained, to show Yourself to Your
an gels as my Protector and my strength, al though You hid
Yonrself from me in onle1 that I rnight experience in some
way what Yom prophet said about Yon: rinun dolorum,
scicntrm in fi rm itatcm) et qua si abscou dit us vu ltus ejus et
despcctus,. pcrcussum a D eo et humiliatum. '"The Man of
Sorrows, conseions of His own infmity, smitten by God
and lrnmilin ted, w ith His Face as it were, hidden and
deSJJi sed.m
\Yhen the time for the visitation arrived, she had regained all her peace and confidence. rrhe principal clele
gate celebrated the :Mass which she caused to be chanted
?S for solemn feasts. The visitation began by the opening aud exmnination of the tabernacle. From her rnanner of describing this, we feel that the mere thought of
negligenee on this point caused a wound to he1 loYe. wrhey
wished i o begin by seeing how W'e kept Y ou, my Dfrine
Sacrament, rny love and my treasme. From there, they
ascended to the parlor where Yon were with me. On
my knees I asked him \Yho presided how he wished me to
behaYe. 'd1ether from respect I should hear in silence wliat
he wished to say to me, or "'-11ether with candor and confidence T shonld speak to him as I do to You. I recognized him
as my juclge and the interrogations began. I t was more detailed than that of an orclinary visitation should be, even
for a person bunud by the religions lJI'Ofession. l. tried to
satisfy their minds with a peacefulness which surpassed
the pmyers of nature. rrhis calmness was Your gift, my
pacifie King. rrhe Yisitation terminated \Yth myself alone.
Those gentlemen went a way withont having spoken to a
Ringle one of my Sisters. " 2
After this fst session, it is certain that the visitors
should haYe been tnred of their p1ejudices when they had
Rom1ded the condnct and weighed the reasons of the ex1Isaias, L Tl I, 3, 4.
:::.\ utogrnphic Life, ch. CXIX.

JOG

LIFE OF JEANNE

CHEZ~\ RD

DE :\f ~\'l'EL

tc1iol"ly f.lp(_nlm lire of 1lothcr <le .Jfotel. 1 i Wl~ <1il1knlt

fm nuy one who was witliout hias, t-o penetrnte into the
~:mctrnuy of ilrni ~onl and not Le filled with ;1dmirntio11
in i he face of' the irnrnense tremmres of g1ace which God
had the1e depositecl, m1d with veueI"ation nt the sight of
her cmidor nnd incomparable lrnmility.
Ho"Tevm, the
canonieal dsitation did not stop there.
Documents found in the national archives of SaintGermniu-des-Prf>s, permit ns to snp1JOse that 1\lother de
:\latel w1ote the p1ecedi11g nceonnt, irnmediately after the
fst session. She mn8t have believed that the -visitation
wns thell ended. She snys nothing of what happened Inter,
bnt from those documents it is ce1tin that Reverend.
Abelly came back to the convent to continue the visitation,
and pI"ivately interviewed seyern 1 of the Sisters .
.At thnt time the civil \Ym_ obliged the comnmllih to
go to Pa.r is for the sake of ~ecmi t~T , and for this reason
the visitation "as interrn])ted, and also because the Snperioress and severnl Sisters objectecl to Ileverend Abelly as
visitor. They addressed a petition to the Pri01 of the
_Abbey of Saint-Gerrnain, Dom Roussel, and complained
that Reverend Abelly had divulged depositions which some
of. the commnnity had made to him nnd they asked for
another visitor.
~rhe following is their pdition:
""8ince it has pleased youe Re,Tel'en in the continua1-ion of the }Jnte11ial cal'e which yon deign to tnke of our
a<lministration in tempornls and spil'it1rnls, to onler a
\'l-dtntion of onl' m01insh}1,,, mul si11ce you g:we n commission l'or tltnt rrn1prn.;e to Hev. A lJelly, the Pnstor of Rni11t.J os~e, we ~mlrn1it-t<>d witlt nll ilH' l"espe<'t d11e to a pe1son
~~11t by yom H<>vP101He.
Bn t, i lw edl tirnes l1:wi11g foned
llN io go Oll ( of Olll' lllOllH~tp1y to 1iIH1 l place Of Sec111ity,
it lilf-1 lm1>pc11e<l t-hHt, <lming the inkn11pt-io11 of the visi1Hiion, we lrnow noi" by wlt:d: llH'lllS, 111m1y tl1i11gs whirh
<"Oll l <l be lrnO\nl 011 ly by d<>po~ii i 011~ of i hrnse of 11 s who
linn~ lH'<'ll <>xarni11P<1, h:t\T<~ Jwp11
din1Jgpt} io RP\'ernl pel'~011~ . 'rlti:-i llils mn<lc it impo~~ihle f'm 11:--; to h<ffe illc iwcp:--;'----

<

::'IIOX~\.STEUY OF PAnIS.- -TROFBLES OF THE FRO~DE

407

~ary

c:onfidenee in the }Je1son of the TieL Pastor of Saintalthongh \Ye 1 egard him in other respects as a
man of honor alld p1ohity. In cornddeI"ation of this, my
Reverend Fathe1, may it i1Ien:-;e you kindly to oblige us
hy making tlle Yisitation ~onrself, or hy sending someone
else to whom we may he lhle to ~peak with entire liberty 7
and \Yi th lJerfect ce1ta in ty of sec1ecy."
\'Tb n teYer ha ppened. i t i!-' eeI"ta in tlrn t Dom Roussel
\\as nt last disabnsed and limited that canonical visitation to th ose two sessions.
If \\'e han~ sto11Jit:d to ,erjfy these facts, it has been
do11e to :-;ho\Y that thjs canonical dsitation was a consequence of inexnet ie1Jorts and false HPJ1reiatio11s by persans who, withont any iifdit hnd taken on themselves to
cemnne the conduct of the saintl.Y )fother aml had alarmed
the ecclesiastical Supel'ol's, co1111H: lling them to make her
nnd her daughters appem befo1e them to (lefeud her 1:on(1nct and her secular state. This Yisitatiou was m<Hle nnder
eonditions whieh -we1e Yery different from tliose which
oniinarily regnlate the yif.;itntions to whid1 all ieligious
houses of \Yomen me snhject. Othe1wise, Jfothe1 de Jiatel
would not lrnYe mentioned it. 1
~T osse,

1It is regrettable that one of the lat e st historians of \I . Olier.

having in his bands from a friend, the manuscript and intimate annals of the m o nastery of the Incarnate Word at Paris, in order to
justify the indirect way taken b y l\f. Olier for this visitation, has
though t of throwing discredi t on the exactness of the narra tiYe of
the venerable annalist of the monastery of the Incarnate \Yord at
Paris. l\Iother d e Bly. It is possible tha t some sligh t errors of da tes
or appreciations may have slipped in:oluntarily in to pages \Vhich
were not written for publication. But as it seems to us, it is our
duty to affirm that Mother de Bly, devoted as she was to her Order
an cl to Mother de l\Iatel. was incapable of sacrificing tru th even to
the cause \Vhich she defends with as much intrepidity as loyalty.
As we are obliged to say. the unfortunate and painful assertions of
the hi0torian of M. Olier are responsible for bringing before tl1E::
public certain very delicate circumstances which otherwise would
have rested in oblivion and would not have cast a shadow on a
venera ted memory among those who read the pages consecra ted by
the author to this regrettable polemic.

CIIAPTER XXIII

The Monastery of Paris During the Troubles of the Fronde

1()5~-1G33

On )lay 7. 1G5~_, ~lother de J\latel and her daughte1s

were for the second time, foreed to leave their monaste1y
wltich was onde the walls, to enter the city. ~rl1e Abb
'1 e la Pi arcf! placed h is horn~e at their disposal. ~tiheir
fel'Yor soon transfol'med it into a couvent. The 01dinary
granted them peJmission to establish a chapel in 'vhich
t hey we]e ahle to hear l\fass and receive Holy Communion,
and on the day after their installation they resnmed the
iegnl ar or<1e1 of thefr ieligions exercises. The little orato1-y soon became a eenter of edification. Many of the
f'aithfn] came to assist at the office of the Sisters and
hear them ehant the }Jiraises of God, behind the screens
whieh we snbstitnted for grilles.
" ' hile they were thus enjoy1g the sympathy of many,
ih ci r friends a t ("on r-t were not inclifferen t to their inte1ests. A nne of Anstda said to Madame de Beauvais: '''ren
;ood :M othe1 de 1\f a tel tlrn t she must corne and lodge in
ihe Hoyal Palace and stay here with ber Sisters until
the fronbles of the 'vnr have ceased." 1 A special messenger
wns sent to deliver this invitation. But the venerable
~\fother 'vonld 11ot think of accepting an offer from which
lie1 love of recollection nnd the hidden life, wonlcl luwe
11 ad to snffer. Rhe seni the Qneen her most humble thnnks
and said tli<tt it lt:td ple<H.;e1 Divine P1ovidence to 8helter
l1e1self and liel' c0111m111tit,y in a hon~e which to them was
a Hoy al Palcwe, hec:rn~e fpy lia<l en~ l'.Y day the consolati011 of aJllno<td1i11g the K1g of killgN, but tliat the kindJl(l:;:f.; of Jlp1 ~JajeNty wonld he a11other stiurnlns to rnakc
yet- rnm(l r)a1 11eNt tl1P praye1s which they were oiferh1g
t o <io<l tlrni- Ile 111igl1t ~aYe l1e1 and the P1inces, !ter ~011~.
J .:\ Ic-1n

u s (' r i p t l\ Te m o i l' h ~ 1\ 1o t li e r <l e B 1y . e l 1. X \ ' I.

408

:\IOX.\STEff" OF P.\IlIS.- -TnllCDLES OF THE FIWXDE

40!)

It 'nls not only by His <laily Yisits tlwt the Snpreme

Monarch made His pnlnce of the dwe11ing in which HiR
sponses 1eceiYec1 hospitnlity, but He al~o there displayecl
the magnificence of His g1nce. The pions Fonn<hess 'YHR
regally clothed with it dming the whole of her sojonrn
in that place. '"On the day of Pentecost:' she wrote, "'He
seemed to lmrn and dro,,~n me unceasingly in the fire of
love and in the water of my tear8.'' 1 She "~as the abject
of the sympath.r and holy env-y of alI \Yho were near her.
On the feast of the Blessed Trinity she was favoied hy
p1iYileges which seemed to lier so out of provortion to
her nothingness, that nt first she wished to nYoicl them.
But afterwards returning to her nsnal state of abanclonment to the diviue good-pleasnre she saicl: "':Jiost August
'I'1inity, be it done unto Thy handmaid according to ~rhy
wil], console her, glorify her.m
During the festivities of the Blessecl Sacrament, the
Divine Savior repeated to her: " ~lj" dnnghte1. I lrn.ve
plnced in thee the word of reconciliation, and since all
t he earth seems to be at war, pray to ~le for sinners."-" .Alns ! God of mercy," she replied, 'I will pray first for
rnyself who am the greatest of sinners. 1f a11 sinners
receiYecl the grnces which Yon gfre to me, they wonld
do the good which I do 10t, and ~wonld not do the evil
'd1ich I do, and for which T most lrnmbly beg Yom pardon."3 The conti-nst bet"yeen the excessiYe liberalities of God
and her own personal umyorthiness, drew from her lips
the words of the P1ince of rhe Apostles: " Lord, depart
from me for I am a sinful woman.'' But a fear inspired
by all that is most delirnte in tenderness, a fear of making opposition to the inclinations of the Divine Goodness,
was a llindrance. J esns tenninated this con test by a new
mark of love: '"My danghter, when I was mortal, I said
from admiration of the Centurion: Ton incclli tautam
fide1n in Israel. "I have not fonnd snch great faith in
farael." 4 To-day I .say tlrnt I do not find nny -faith like
!Autographie Life, ch. CXX.
2Ibidem.
3lbidem.
-Matt. VIII, 10.

.no

LIFE OF

JEA~XE

CHE7'~\. IlD

mdo thi11P. Tlwt lo11fi<ll,11ce p1psses

wlrnt il1011 <lo:--;t 11ot thi11k or asking
lenYest to )le <111 thi11gs for tirne and
filia. 1 He of :ood 11emt, dm1ghkr, I
l\ly~elf, n tcuign d1tne " ' hi(h to thee
~rlrns

DE :.\L\.TEL
gin.~

tltee e\'ell
frolll )le, while thon
fm ete1nity: f1011fidc
l'<lllse to go ont from
i;-; imoH11nehensible.":!
)lp to

u1ged ty the rne1Ty of he1 ~IHm:-;e, she iedontle<l

he1 prayers. On the foast of the Yisitation, .Jnly 2, 1G52,
she was pre1w1ing to enter into the joy:-; of that g1eat
day, when snddenly she felt he1seH plnnge<l iuto an abys:-;
of SOlTO"' rrhc1e ap11ean:-<l to 11c1 tht1 BlcNsed Y-giu
leaving Paris and canying hc1 Divine ~on wi th her. At
the sight of this scene, she p1osh1te~ he1se1f on the
floor, 8heds a de1nge of tem~, and lneathe~ forth snpplication8 t1oke11 t:r sobs: '"Ah! rny Qneen ! Ah! my
augnst one, whither me you carrying awny the C'llild of
holy Love, Love itself, my J esns, my God "!
If .ron
abandon Pmis we arc lost. I will det<tin yon and Him
by my tears. He did not despise tems when He wm; n
morfal man. By their tems, the widow of Xaim and the
sisters of Lazmns made Him raise tlwit dcad to life. Yon
and He, in yonr goodness, will heed the desiies of my
heart for this ioyal city. l ~hnll Hot f'll<tse pntying to
you both, uniil yon give me pen(:<: m1d nutil I Nee onr King
and his family back in Paris.''::: 'rlwt \\aN i:H1Ped a . time
to intcivene mH1 ldse to Hemrcn Sll]ipli<rnt hnn(ls which
achieYe Yicto1y.
At th<1t n~ry moment the froops of
1'me1rnc and those of (\mcU~ ha<l rnet n11<1e1 the \Ya]b;;;
of the capital nud we1e fi;htin; the bloody h<tile of ihe
faubourg Rt. .. \nfouy. )ili:-;s dn Jlo11tpe11sie1 had ('an~e(l
the eannun or the B<t~iille to ffrc upou the ioyal mmy
and had opeHe<l to tlH iPbPls the g;<tte~ of the city whieh
they fille<l with dis01de1 n11<1 tcno1.
rJ'he sailli]y "Jfofoc1 aSS(~lllh]ps her (1anglt1i-;. exhoris
i hem io Iedon bl< the il ]>l'<tyer:-; f'01 pe<l~P and l'OmmmHls
thai: llO one, 1'01 :rny l'P<tsmt whnt:-;op\Tel', Nh:tll (1h;t11rb he1
m 1H1 JH"<l,Yl'l'N. ~lie U1(l11 ~lrn.; he1:-;<_l11' np in lw1 litt-l e
1Matt. l X, 22.

uto g ra phi c Life, c il. C XX .

:i.\utogTaphi e LifP, (']l. <'XX.

21\

~IO~ASTEnY OF PARIS.-TnOCBLES OF THE FIWXDE

-!11

01atory. J[other de Bly. wl10 1elate~ thi~ faet, could

not bea l' the continuation of the )lothe1':-; sufferings and
tried to force her to take rest and 11<rn1ishment. But
she found her lrnconscious. She went to get hel p to rai se
her and place her on a bed. One of the pions )[other's
knees was g1ently swollen and caused her intense pain.
At this she rej oicecl. She had offered herself as a Yictim
to appease J>idne .Jm~tice. and this suffering lrnd been
gfren tn her as a pledge that her oLlation lrnd been aceeptec1.
Our L01c1 p1omises he1 tha t pence will soon be concl uclecl and that the P1ince of Cond will return to the
snhmission which he owes to his King. Xothing appeared
less probable. To a Bishop who is one of her friends
and W"hO cornes to exho1t her to ask for the cessation
of the woes of their country. she impmts these assurances.
He <"am1ot belieYe them an cl says: " I'he1e is no appemnnl'e of peaee and a11 things point to a long war.m This
was the opinion of all. :X eYertheless the facts, as hist01y shows. trnHecl ont as the.' had been announcec1. "This
paeitieation/' "Tites :\Iother de Bly. "fo1 whic-h there had
been no hO]Je, made eYerybocl.' sa~ that some soul that
had special power m'"e1 the hemt of Gnt1, must luwe done
holy Yiolence to obtnin a iemecly which was so unexpected.
But ns for omselYes. "e well kno\Y to whom we were indehtecl f01 th i:-; fcwor. "'.?
This politic<ll ~tonn hatl momentarily anestecl the
execution of the plots made agninst :Jlother de :Jfatel. bnt
the malice. which had fomented them, had not b~en clissipated. Her wrltings of thnt epoch gfre us a glimpse of
what ~he still hacl to suffer on account of the exceptional
state in whieh Ood de~ired her to continue. But her good
)fn:-;ie1 l ost no oppmtnn i ty of 1eas~m] ng an cl eonsoling
her.
011 ilte <lay \\lwn ihe population of Pari~ luul n:-::-;l'lll Llecl to witHe:-;s thl frim11plwl 1dm11 to the ('apifal of
the sa me Cardilwl :\hlzmil1 foi whose tlea th i t hatl dmn01el1
1

L\fanuscript
~ Autograp h ie

o f ::\Iot lle r d e B l y , eh. X \ l.

Life. ch. XYII.

~I e m o ir

41:2

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAilD DE l\lATEL

so short a time before, Our Lord appeared to the saintly

Poull(hess, crowned with a diadem of thorns in tlle form
of a tima, and covered with a long red robe made of His
own precious bloo. He said to her: '"l am thy Cardinal.''
Then allucling to the urnterial of His admirable garment
and to that with which He hacl so often assured her that
He would cove1 her interiorly, He added: "My daughter,
thon must not feel abashed. Ench day when thon receivest
.J[e, I clothe thee with ~fyself.''-"Dear Love," she replies,
J know full well that I am not worthy of Your favors
01 of the habit of Yonr Order, lmt there is so much talk
al>0nt my giying the habit to rny claughters and not taking it myself, that this causes me an apprehension lest
I may be depriv"ecl of thi8 consolation on accouut of my
sins." The Sove1eign 1\Iaster replies: "To whom hast
thon to answe1 lrnt to 1\le 'Ylw have commanded thee
not to bind thyself nntil I have told thee to do so? 'fhy
directo1s are not of an opinion contrary to )ly own. Do
1rnt won.v about thi~ any mo1e. Thou ait like :\Ielchisidech,
withont fathe1 or mother or relatives to aid thee to establish ~ly Onler which is also thy own. "rhat astonishes
many is to see a woman without aid f1:om any one, fonnding and establishing so many honses. It is I \Vho give
i hee the ~pil'itnal and temporal means for this. Be contented, l\fy dearest, for l have done and will do all in
thce. I wlll complete :My work. I will lower the hills
of the wol'ld in the road of jfy eternity.m
On mi oth c1 ocension Om I~ord sa id to h er : "Be Ilot
<lisfresse<l, ~Iy danghte1, at not being clothed with ~ly
exterior live1-.v, <llHl he not tronble by tho~e wlio mmHrnr
nhont tl1y giving ilte habit and not wearing it; at thy
making l'Cligio11R mHl not being one ihyself. Believe in
God t he FniJip1, llHl in l\Iysel f, l 1is Ron, m1<l His coeqnal,
i he H ol y Rpi l' t. 111 t lt e ho use of l\ly l~ nthc1 there me
111t11y 111m1sio11N tJHl dive1~ a<l0111111eni~. HP 1\fy new ~Jeru
N:tl<>m <lot11Pd wiih t11y ~pou~<'. 1 llll thy God, thy life,
111Hl tlty ink1jo1 <.loU1i11g.
...\11 tlle h<)auty of the Kh1g's
1

L \ u t11 gTa phi c Li f e, c l! . C XXX .

l\ION ...\.STEUY OF PARIS.-TROUBLES OF THE FIW~DE

413

dangllter is within. Thy danghters are the embroidery

of thy robe. Thou art an enigma to many. I t is the
p1ivilege of Him alone Wbo knmvs and conside1s hearts,
to know thee thoroughly.m
There "\Yas always the same absolute will and the same
positive affirmation.
The Incarnate \\Tord wished the
Foundress to be free and indepenclent because He had
determined to make use of her alone to establish spiritually and temporally the Order which He destines to be
their common property. Rut the apparently secnlar state
in which proviclential dispensations obliged her to live, was
far from harming her eternal interests, and her Spouse
recornpensed in God the sacrifices which were the iesult
of this state. He clothed her so prodigiously with Himself
that she was tru ly His "miracle of love," an enigma to
ffeaven and earth.
At the same tirne tliat God was giving Mother de ~la tel
these intei-ior rn~smances, He was p1eparing for her an
exterior aid in foe struggle which she was sustaining far
from her cloister. :JI onsignor de Lestrade, Bishop of
Condom, had made her acqnainfance. All that he observecl
in her, filled him with admiration. He clesired to know
the opinion held of her by those who had thus far been
her direc:tors. For this purpose he iuterview,ed her former
directors among tbe J esuit Fathers and Father Carr, the
Dominican. All affirmed that she was led by the Divine
Spirit, that the. favors she received came from Gocl ~ and
that she "\Vas the most enlightened soul known _to them .
He resolved to become her protector and to encleavor to
enlighten those whom appearances had deceived. wrhis
Prelate,'' writes Jiother de Bly, " who is most pions and
most zealous for Yonr glory, did for me "\Yhat St. Germanus,
Ilishop of Auxerre, did for Rt. GeneYive, when he learned
that the envy and lH'etended zeal of many had i.Teated me
unkindly, althongh they thought they were do1g an act
of great cha1ity. Your wise ProYlence sent him to assist
lAutographic Life, ch. CXXVIII.

JlJ

LIFE UF'

JE~\X~E

CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

me with hi~ inotedion, against all those who hnd nssem hle<l in that council of whfrh I have previously spoken.''1
The efforts of the Prelate were not without resnlts.
ReYeral who in good faith had taken sides against the
Found1e~~, changed their opinions.
T'he Pl'i01 of the Abbey of 8<1illt-Ge1mnin who had been h1duced to mistrust
her, and hnd 01de1e<1 the canonical Yisifation, forgot his
p1ejndices to f-'neh an extent that he nppointed the Abb
de la Piardire, Superior of the monasteiy of the Incarnate
\Vord. 2
Monsignor de Lestiade was, perlwps, not a stranget
to the change w1ought in ~l. Olie1, "'ith iegnnl to :Mothe1
de ~Intel. \Yhateyer may be the nth nbont his intervention on which we baye no docnments, what is certain
is that the momentary divergenee hebyee11 these two great
sonls resulted in causing the humility of both to shine
forth all the more b1miantly. The narrative of l\fotber
de Bly on this matte1, is too cdifying to be pnssed over,
nlthough it pertnins to an epoch posterior to the one at
whiC'h we have now arrived.
'l"'he saintly Poundress having retmned to Lyons, :ls
we shall soon see, egged )f. Gauthe1y, a vfrtuons ecclesiastic~ who was on his wny to Paris, to tnl in his compauy two Siste1s whom she was sending to her conyent
in that city. Rhe nhm a~ked him to ~ee )f. Olie1 for he1-.,
to present to him her respectful bornage, nnrl to recomrneud he1 to his p1ayC1'~. As soon as the Yeucrnhle Um
1ttoguized bis vi8itor, he said to him: "'How welcome
yon a1e ! For a long time I hnve been waiti11g to 1eee\'e
1'1om Providence the <011~olation whid1 I hope to re('e\TC
i l11011gh yon. l heli eve i hai Pl'oviden<'e ]end~ yon here
io <lP]\'Pl" HW from the pnin whid1 I 811ffe1' iu my Rou},
w i th itgn 1<1 to go<Hl l\Iofe1 <le 1\la i PL_ .. 1 t i s by hel'
wiNh , ns w<>ll a~ rny owll, ihat I 11ow <011H' to ~<'<' yon,"
1ppliPd .. \hl>( Oa11ihe1y.
"'I Raw he1 ill Lyom~ lJHl NlH
<01lfid<<l 1o rn.<> hn> Ri~dt1~ wl10111 ~li<> wn~ s<>rnli11: to ltp1
1 .\ u t ogTa phi c Li f< ', c h . CXX .

1 \ l >h o t o f
O u r L: 1 d y o r
J t e cli c d in 1G5 1.

:(:\ 1. 1 1n h <' r t.

,\ IJ !J ey.

( ri ~ ~ .

h a <1 r e t i r e d t o Il i ~ o '" 11

"JI());"_.\.STEnY OF P~\..nIS.-TnOCBLES OF THE FHO);"DE

4:15

con Yen t uf P~ni ~. ~lie co11rn1 i:-.::-.:i oned me to pre~en t t() .'-un ,
he1 rnost humble l'espect:--:. and to as~ure you that she
does not forget you jn her i 11n.'-ers. and she heg:-.: :nm tn
kindly iemember lier 1 ~- oul's... ~I. Olier ievlied: .. _\s
for me~ I beg you. the first time yon see her. to :-;ay to
her that I am her most humble se1yant. and that I l>eseech her to forget the e:xamination to \d1ich she was
~nbjected before the late war in Paris.
In the condition
in "\Yhich yon see me"-of paralysis from which he died.. I luu-e all leisure to consicler the T"ariecl \\ays by which
Ci-ocl leads souls. I praise Him. \\ith all my heart. for
the opportunity \\hich Ile gfres me to make reparation
lo good :.llother de }latel. for whose T"irtues I haT"e the
g:reatest esteern. as I belie\e them to be most solicl. and
.'-ou "\Yill oblige me. Sir. by testifying to my sentiments.
on e\ery occasion "\Yhich may be offered." 1 The _-\bb clid
\drnt "as re<]_uested by the \enerable Cur. He again sa w
the :.Jiother Foundre~s. and after that w1ote the Cur "-ith
\\-hat humility she receiYed the messages he had sent her.
and how she assnred hirn that she liad ne\er felt resentment against the Cur. for whose intentions she promised
to pray to the DiYine ~Iajesty.
The good ~faster not only arou~ecl the zeal of the Bishov
uf Condom to promore the iehabilitation of the \\Orthy
-:\Iother. bnt He Himself was also busy about her reputation and clea1ly shcn,-ecl that to tonch her was to touch
the apple of Ris e;-e. }lany i-1e1sons were made to feel
this. but ~I. cle Yille10L _\l1b of Saint-.J u~t. hacl a special
e:x1H~rience of it. F01 a long while he had been acquainted
\Yith :Jiother de :Jlatel and had held her in \eneration.
He was a brnthe1 of the go,ernor of L \Ons and of the
Prelate wl10 was soon TO ~ueceecl :Jion~ignor de Richelieu
in the rnimatial see of that cit~-. Th1ong:h :Jiother de
~r atel's inte1ce~sion. he ha cl receiYecl signal g:races. and
on ~e,-era 1 occa~ions while he "-n~ l'!>Iller~ing: wi th her on
the things of Go cl. he ha cl :-:een lle1 illuminecl ,y] th a miraculous lig:ht. She vrofe~secl tllial confidence in him and
~

1 :.r anu ~ cript

:.rem 0ir of :.rother de BlY. ch. XYI.

4J ()

LIFE OF

JE~'\XXE

CHEZXP.D DE

~IATEL

eal1ecl hn her Father dircctor. HoweYer, he had happenecl

to corne to ra1is where one of hi~ f:..;t ,i:..;it~ was to )J.
Oli< r, his i11timate friend, all(l 1wd a11owed hirn~elf to
l>eeome irnbned with inejndice~ again:..;t the FnnIHlres:..;. He
bel ieYed that he had to refonn his own opinion about her,
and assisted at the meetings in which the p1ocess against
her "as ananged. ~\Il the g1ien111ces against her '"ere
1mfolded before him.
The fo1lmYing were among the
charges. 1t \Yas irnpo~f'ih1e foi her to r~cefre snch numer011s Yisits an<l be a soul of prayer.
How cou1d she escape
from Yain g1on'" "hile seeing her:..;elf consulted and fl])plnnded l>y :--o rnany eminent personages? She was too
1eady to communicate lights said to be receiYed from God,
et<:. . . . Fina1ly the membe1s of that council concluded
that cel"tainly she was no longer \Yhat she might haye been
a t a fonner time.
For more tlum eight years the Abb of Saint-.J nst had
not seen "Jf other de -:\J a tel and had al1owed hirnself to
be influenced l>y these reasonings, es1)ecia1ly when he 1rnd
:..;een hi~ Yene1ale friend npressecl by them. He even went
:-.;o far a~ to offer his services as one of the examiners in
the eanonieal Yisitation wbich was to be made. But this
\Yas not pe1mitted by God. On his retn1n to his d"elling
after thi~ offe1, he \Yas seized with a -violent feyer. All
ihe medieal ex1w1:; ca11ed in to aid him we1e unale
to find any iernedy for his malnd~'. to \Yhich they dec1ared
he must succum b. \Yhen he was informed of the imminence of the dange1, he wi~hed to rnepare his soul to appear before God. He had sneh a keen feeling that in
taking sides against "J[other de "Jfate1 he had wounded
i he 11 emt of his .Jndge, tlrni he a~ked himself if hi~ .presP11 t illne:-:s we1e not a c11n~ti~e111ent foi his fault. Ile
lwt111<_. more and m01e i111p1c~:..;ed with this thought and
llla<k a ~np1 prne effort to utter a 1pq1w~t that some one
\nrnl<l go an<l beg t11e Fonmfress to eome to ~ee him.
~lie \Ya~ t11en with I1e1 tornmn11ity in the hon~e of "Jf. de ]a
l >i:n<li<'.1P. To thf pe1~on who came for her, ~he ~aid: "Ali lto11gh wc me ont of oui monaste1y, still we observe the
1

)IO~~UffEiff OF P~\.P..IS.-TTiffCBLES OF THE FIW~DE

--117

doi:-;1er here. H(rneyer~ J sha 11 g-n. foi l camwt iefu:-;e

tn com1JI~- ,yj th rhe request of m: Father dfreet01-. Rn t
there is no cau~e of fear for hi:-; life. " 1
On ber anfra1. the Found1e~s sa v~ all the hotel t1e
\Tillerai in consternation. E\e1.\ one she met repeated:
"He is about to reathe his last." The patient lrncl lost
consciousness. ould neither speak. nor hem. In svi te
of this she ap1Hoaches him. and. in a rather loud YO:e
sa:s to hirn: "ReY. Father. courage: I haYe h}Je that
you 'Yill not die from this malady. although it bas brought
:ou r1nite lmY. P1omise the Incarnate \\-orcl that :ou
\Yll inotect His house of L:ons~ and that :ou 'Yill put
out of yom mind "hateYer is displeasing to His Dfrine
:Jiajesty... ~\t the sound of he1 T"oice a complete ie,olution took Jjlace in the "hale sy:-:tem of the sick man. He
rega1ed conseion~ne:-:s. and rec0T"ering the power of speech.
he repliecl : Y e:-.;. :.\fa dame. if God gives me the g:race
of returning... I hope to see you there as Ykar General. .. ~
answerecl :.\Iother de :.\Iatel. The father "as extremel: \\eak
and had not been able to S\Yallow an:thing: for a long
time. She herself then g'a\e him sorne nomi~hment. and
he took it "ith ease. The fe,er lrnd clisa]Jpeared. He
,,-as cured. \\ onder and joy filled that hon:-:e of mourning. AH blessecl the saintl: 1Iother. The con,alescent
would not allow her to "ithdia"- until he thanked her.
and reqnested a prfrate inte1de\Y with her. He expressed
his regrets at lHn-ing so easi1y ac101Jted the de":-; of those
who blamed her and at h~ning taken sicle:' ag-ainst lier.
She consolecl hirn. and assured hirn that she had not hacl
any feelings of resentment again~t hirn or against hi~
friend ~I. Olier, and adYisecl hirn to think onl: of reestablishing his health and of returning to labor for the
glory of God. in his own city of Lyons.
This incident alone might suffice to pr(rve how sensitiYe J esus showecl Himself to proceed1g:' against the dear
abject of His tenderness. There me imm: other examples of this, but "e shall cite only one ,,-hic:h happenecl
nranuscript :Jiemoir of :Jiother cle Bly. ch . XYI.
2Ibidem.

418

LIFE OF

JE.\X~E

crrnz.\nD DE :\L\TEL

Ht that Rame time. 011 the <lay of the Cfrcnmci~ion, in

tl1e yea1 1r.5;~, the ~.-fdt}1 ~a('1if.;tm1 11nd fmgotten to 1no,.i<le wi11e 1'01 the Iloly Sne1itiee, and we11t io heg the ~d~ter
i11-lm, of :JI. de la Pinn1i01e to kirnlly gi,e ~orne for that
d:1y. Thi~ lady 11ad heen initntecf liee;rn:-;e )f. de Jn
Pianli<~n} 11ad co11 fided his <mly dnnghte1 to :Jiothe1 de
~\Iniel inste<td of to he1self, and she seized eve1y occasion
to ~h''. he1 di~plcn~me. She sent the answer that she
had on ly ~orne wine of Coudl'ienx which was not tapped
Hrn1 wn~ being ke]Jt for the fenst of the Kings.
1-'his
iefn:-;<1 l vained the hen it of the pions )Iother, beca rn;:e
1 he1e "as qnestion of the divine ,,01ship.
But she did
11ot permit he1 feeling~ to appenr and p1oenrd some wine
from another so_une.
On the Epiphnny, nn nttempt waf' made to <lr:rn off

the wine destined fo~ the rejoicing~ of the nnmerouR guests

invited for that occasion. Bnt nlthongh the ca:"k "as
piened ]n ~eve1nl place~, not a drop of "ine ftowed.
Piunlly the cask w as b1oken open and it was fonnd to
he a~ dry as if it had neve1 contni11ed any liqnid. Great
wnR the smprise of the servants, but far grenter was thr
pain of the rnai<l who had chmge of the keys of the
<'ellar. rrhat good "oman had been born in the se1vice
of ?\f. de la Pinrdire. He1 father was bis former and
Rhe hn_<l been bronght ll}J in the house of hiR urnRter. She
l1ld the eni i1e confidence of her mistress and she de~ened
it. rJ'hi~ miRadventure ROl'ely d;;tlessed he1. In he1 desol<ttion ~Ile kept iepeating to he1i;;;elf: ''I-Iow shall I nn110111He thi~ l('C'i<lent to my l1wstp1R'? They \Ylll nccn~e
me of it. .\ 11d who conld be accn~ed bnt myself as the
kPys li;1n ht>en in my hands alone. HoweYe1, it is none
of rny fnnlt mul I am <tb~olntely ignorant of the c;rnse.''
ThP <lm1ghiPI' of JI. <le la Pi;n<li<'-'rP, who wn~ then eighte011
y<;11~ of <lg'l>, s:tw the g1ief of the rn<ti<l nnd wished io
:-;pn 1< 1101 illP m1;11ish of emrying the h;1d news. Dnt, M
t lie fi1~i w01 d of' ihe mnid, ihe :-1iRh 1-i11-llw tli<>s into a
l'lg<} ;111<1 po111N ont imrnlti11g l('tn~ationR a;ninNt Jip1, lnd
<nuld be <li~:11111< 1 <l 11Piihp1 by JnotPst~ nm y 1eais. 8he
1

::.\IOX~\S'l'EUY O' PARIS.-TIWUDLES OF THE FlW~DE

419

persisted in repeating in an outraged tone: "It is you

that drank the wine with yonr friends!' The poor gil'l,
who was faithful m1d prncleHt, as ~Iother de Bly relates,
'Yas so disturbed nt seeing herself tlrns 1c1imiuated, that
she had a sudclen attnc-k of janndice accompanied by a
lmrning fever.
I11 a little '"hile she "a~ so ill that she had to reeeive
the lnst satrnmenis. After Holy Communion , ~he asked
to see he1 mistre~s and said to hel': .. In the condition
to whieh I am rednted, and as I mn soou to a lJpear before God to be judged. yon ma~ belieYe me. I swear to
you tlrnt I am im1oee11t of eYeryfiug of 'd1ich you accn~e
me.m These w01ds made the lady enter into h erself. She
felt iemo1se and thought thnt the misfortnue which had
happened might iudeefl be a pnnishment foi her own reft~sal to giYe wi11e for ~rn:~s.
She ceased disquieting t he
poor maid to "hom ]Jence iestored henlth and who said
th nt she '"as indebted foi hoth to ~fother de ~Inte l. In
fact, the lntte1 had ofteu Yi~ited her in her illness, exhorting lier to lHffe confidence iu God. nnd assn l'ing h c_,r
tliat He would enre hel' and eanse her inn ocence to ue
iecognized.
In the midst of these vieissitucles, time had passed
~wiftly.
Pence hacl been re-established . rrhe yonng King
hnYi11g returned to his ea]Jital be~nm to ffYe it a foretnRte of the uwste1 it wonld haYe. ~Jother de ~Iatel m1d h cr
dn nghterR were al'deut iu their desfres to ietnrn to thei l'
own m01wste1y, but ,yere detained hy the orders of thei1
8nperior, the Abb de ln PiardP1e. who 'Yished . to 1einRtall them 1 pe1son. au cl at . that time was absent in
rroul'aiue on a mission eontided to him by the Kiug. Fiually
he snw that his mission wonld keep him myay longer tlurn
he h~ul thonght, nud he })ermitted the 8i~te1s to lenve his
l1onse m1d ie-e11tc1 theil' conveiit.
According to ihe testimo11y of i ht> \'t>1H1,\l~1t )lotl1e1.
their joy "as i11ex1ne~sible aud il~em hled tlwt of the
Hehrews escnping from the l)Ondage of Egypt, to plunge
L

L\Ianu sc ript l\1emoii of l\Ioth e 1 d e B l y, c h . Xn .

420

LIF'E OF JE.AXXE CHEZ.AUD DE

~1.A'l'EL

iuto the desert, on their way to the land of Promise. 'l'hns

ihe Divine Spirit nrged he1 to chant interiorly the psalrn
In exitu Israel de PJgypto. 1 Already on the n~xt da~r, feast
of St. Joseph, the heaven ly man na clescended to their solitude to nonrish them and was enclosed in their tabel'lrncle
to be their strength and ronsolation clnring their pilgrimage. All was joy in the sonl of the pions Founclress
when one of those sorrows, which the souls of saints alone
are rapable of ex1Je1iendng, afflicted her.

Our Lord revealed to he1 that the Archbishop of Lyons

was in his agony from the dropsy from which, in spite
of all confrary appearanres, she hacl f01etold to him that
lte was to die. He was to1tnred becanse he lrnd iefnsed
to execnte lier Bnlls. and he regrettecl that her absence
di cl not pe1mit him to erect the monaster~r ranon ically
hefore he \vould appear before God. T'his levelation, which
might have brought to many even good hearts satisfaction
and relief, fillecl wi th affliction that of )lother de l\f a tel.
She had been one of the :first to corne n nder his pastoral
anthol'ity. In her confidence inspirecl by llis long years
in the monastic life, she hacl asked Onr Lord to eonfide
to him the guidance of the Church of Lyons. He hnd
grantecl this with the warn ing th at she wonlcl be l ike .J eph te~s
clanghter destinecl for sac1ifice, and a11 his sevel'ity and
resistance by which, without knowing it, he hacl accomplished this propl1ecy, had been incapable of climinishi11g
the sah1tly l\fothel''s attachment and submission. 'l'hence,
"r1te11, on the Hight of l\farch 24-2r>, Rhe lrnew il1at lte
w:1:-; (xpfring, the pain she felt, as shc confeR:-;eR, was
i11exp1p:-;sible.
The 11exi day, the foast ol' the .A..i1mmciatiou, )Iornd g1101 (le I,asfrade cmne to viRit her for t-he :first time, nfte1
her ieturn fo 111e mom1:-;iery, m1d he was amazed at the
snd11ess <lepided 011 l1p1 (onnie11mce. ] fe a:-;ked her, how
can yon he so :mil tft<_>1 1< gai11i11; the loYnhle desc1t fol'
whi ch yo n lm Y<' :-;o a J'(l<11 tly :-; igltPd '! f4he 1epl i ed; H iR het llRC rny Pnsio1 di .. d llN( nigld.'~ 'rite P1pJ:ite wm; 110 l011g~1
1

1 P :-;. \'X T11 ,

1.

2\10~.iSTERY OF P.iRIS.-TROrBLES OF THE FRO~DE

-!:.:21

astonishecl at her sorro"-- a~ he kne"- how she lm--ed the

~-\ichbisho11.
But 10 console her. he iemarked that the
decea~ed Frelate could no longer pre,ent the Ortler of
the Tne a111 a te \Y ord from beinf! e:-;ta blishecl a t I ..:ons or
her da ughters from being sanctified b: the 'o"--s of religion.
\'\~e cannot imagine the "-oncler of her nsitor at seeing
ber announce in such a prec:i:se and simple manner \\hat
she eould hwn lean1ed 11nl~-- snpe1nan11all:. as the courier~
bearing this ne,,--s did not arn::> at the capital until se,eral
da:s afterwards.
H0,,--eYer. from this death. at \\hich the generous :Jlother
felt snch vain. there was to re:Sult for her more than one
ad,antage. Be:'icles. as ~lonsignor de I.esnacle said.
pntting an end to the opposition \\hich hacl retardecl the
establishment of the monaster: at L:ons. it released her
from the obligation imposed upon her. b:- the deceased
Cardinal. of writing do\\n a repon of all the gTaces
"-hich she "as recefring from God. Ilelie,ecl and happ:.
she laid cfo\\-n her pen. But fnnnnatel: her clirectors.
"-hose r1e~l'es on this point had alwa:s been in accord
\\itb the Ca1dinal's 'dll. "-el'E.' unanimous in opposing such
silence. For ~e,en >ears more. that is. as long as heT
e:-es and hand shall allo\\--. she "--ill continue to sketch
the masterpieces of g:race in he1 soul. and thus enrich.
by nearl~-- tluee hunclrecl pages. the treasnr> of her "--rit-ings. In the following ter111s. 'ldtich retiect the purity of
intentjon \dth "-hid1 she accnrn1,1lishecl thb task. she tells
ns ho"~ ~he re:'lrn1erl This la bor.
.. Ynur goodnes~. m>had e>--e:'. a111l tlle death nf Jfonsigunr the Cardinal of
L,-,on~. at " -ho:-.e command I haYe ''Titten this nanatfre
up to the p1esent time. "--ould dispense me from continuing it.
But m: cone;":sor~ and directors. Fa thers de
Lingende~. de Cre:'t. and de Cond. c1n not permit me to
discontinue. Tberefore. I ~ha ll not dispense m:self from
h until the: sjgnif: tn me Yonr "ill. and I will take
thi:' (ourse in orcler to nffer H1 Yon a continual sacrifice
uf m:- c1"T1 inclination~. ~md (1f rec:(l~plitinn and thank:':-gi\ing foi Yom infiu ite ~md m1iful liber~llities t<)\\-arcls

4.22

LIFE OF

JE.t'..N~E

CHEZ.AUD DE

~I

ATEL

me, Yom most un worthy spouse. Dear L01d, nrnke all

C'l'eatmeN chant in HeRven and on emth: Hol:1/, Holy, Holy
is the Lord, strong and powe1fn 1. 1
The fi na 1 settlement of the poli tic<tl hou bles wllich
had agitnted Pni.nce for five years, smoothed over the
diffieultie~ wldth hacl hi11d~1e<l T\fothe1 de 2\Jatel from
gidng ihe lnst fonch to the e~tahld1rne11t of lte1 monastery of Pmi~. For a long tirne she hnd been trying to
purchnse the hon~e ocenpied y the commm1ity, as well
ns several gnrclenN and lmil<lings ]n the ndjoining royal
orange 01ehard, hnt h~1d lJecn mrnble to make a reasonable
bn.rgain. 'rhe dmsters of war and especially the burning of the Red B1idge, had diminished the value of those
pieees of JH'ope1ty and also had lessened the exadipgness
of the sellen.:, who of themselves i1ow offerecl their renl
estate nt JH'tes mnch lower tlrnn those wltich had been
proposed to them hy the Fonnd1ess. She ha~tene<l to con-

dmle the pmcha~e.

The <onfrnrt hy whieh Nhe ac<1uired these JWoperties
was closed on August ~n, 1G3:1, and in tlle joy of her hemt
she was finnlly n ble to offe1 to her adorable Lonl an asylnm belonging to HimRe.Jf. ''Dnring the ten years of my
:-;tny in Pai-i~, .. ~he sayN to 1Iirn, ''how rna11y times l had
snid to Yon: ])em L(we, the foxeR mid many individnals more c111rni11g a11d adroit thnn I, and the birds qnick(~1
to rwovide l'or themRelve~ than I nm, have thefr deus and
neRts a11<l lofty plm1R, and Yon, 0 Inemnate 'Yord, to
\Yhorn eve1ytlting ht.1longs, Yon luffe in all Pmis no pla
"he1eo11 to l'(~~t Yom ~a<red ltea(l.' 1>t>:11 Lon i10w eeaR<..1
tlic~e <01t1pb1i11t~.
J wi~h to lrny a hou~e foi Yon, with wliat
Y on Ji" ve :i vP11 111e 1h l'Crngli 1lie ('(llp ta ken of me by
Y0111 <rng< l~. w lt 0111 Y011 h :1 n onh1ed to l novi de for me:':!
1

~l:du~

To 111:1kP llt<

of' 11<1 ltonN<' i11<1PpPndP11i mHl io

(U-O:~lll'(' it~ ('XNJ( 1l('('. Nit(' wi~l1<d 110\Y 011ly to (l('(jl11'(' l
]J('('(' of pl'OJl<'l'lY "Jt tlt, IJ<nH'\'('1', l'Oll Id 1ll be ~oJd 11ll lllP<lia t<~ly llHl to l'Cl'.01'(1 ihc )p1.(l'l ~ or l'omHfotion.
But
1

l, \utngT<tp!Ji e l.il' c, C'll. <'XXX\r.

2A utogra pl 1ic Lifl-', cil . CXXXYI.

~IOX~\STEUY OF r.uns.- -TTIOtTDLES OF THE FHOXDE

423

hefore ab~enting herseH frorn the capital, she was not

to luffe the co11solation of placi11g on he1 w01k this final
seal of f-linbility .
.Afte1 the (leath of the . - \1chbisl1op of Lyons, the vetitious of the Siste1s of the Congregation to obtain the retmn of )[other de Jlatel, became more and more pressing.
They did not confine themsehyes to solieiting her personally~ b_ut ahw acldressed themselves to JI. de la Piardire,
asking him to use his anthority of Superior, to make her
corne as soon as possible. The venerable Jiother did not
need to be moused to the impol'tance of this move, as
she was more desi1ons than any one else of the canonical
e1ection of this honse on the lrnly ~Iount in 'vllich she
had received :-;o many graces, and for which the Incarnate
\Yord bad made he1 snch gTeat p1omises. But she wonld
have liked not to leave her monasterv of Pmis before
she
.
had completed its ]H?1foet establishment. She fmesaw that
as the Areh bishov named for Lyon:-; had not yet received
his own Bnlls, things would not be accomplished as qnickly
as some thonght. Rhe eonii nned to ilpeat: "I will l>e
nnable to do anything at I.Jyons nntil two yems from now.m
At that tirne the Alde1men of Lyons were obliged to
go to the capital, and had promised one another and also
nnmerons friends of the Foundress, to bring ber back with
them. :JI. de la Pimdi<!re at that time had to make a
journey to G1enohle. The desl'e to take advantage of
their company both fo1 )Jother de Jfatel and for bimself,
made him deci<le i1ot to wait a11y longer. 'Yii hont saying anything about it to the wol'thy 3fother, he :-;ecured
for her four seats in the ~tagecoach. Tn this he thonght
to do a ~en"ice to ber and lier Onler, and he had a ready
nnRwer to all her objections. 3f. de Hm~signol already hacl
the letters patent in his lrnmlR, and had nnclertaken to
lrnve th em registe1ed. 'Yith the influence of t he Chancellor and other ]JOwel'fnl friencls of the Fonndress, the
ntfair seemed an easy one. Befo1e nnclertaking to com1ilete this bnRiness, he askecl for time to terminate another
~

llVIanuscript ::.\Ie mnir of l\Ioth e r cl e Bly, ch. :XIX.

424

LIFE OF

JE ~\NNE

CHEZ.AUD DE l\I.A':rEL

which concerued his fa mi ly and the success of which

~eemed mueh Jess ~ me.
As to the real estate which she
wished still to al'qnire, she had only to deposit with 1\i.
de la Piardire the smn necessnry for rnaking the payment, and he m1de1took to make the purchase.
He who spoke tlrns to her was the Snperior of her monnstery. and in spitc of the misgiving;s which she felt at
goiHg a "'ay without seeing its existence completely assme. the saintly Mother snbmitted. But, al as! the fntnre
was to j ustify her forebodings only too well. However,
the tribulations reserved for her were a part of the plan
of Providence and, moreover, HeaYen took sides to invite
her to take her departure.
On the feast of St. :Matthew, Reptember 21, l53, as
the Foundress was leaving the chofr to do the cooking.
Our Lord appeared to her under the figure of a lamb,
white as snow, who gracefnlly galloped over white ,clonds,
and returned invHing her to follow Him. 1 'r-w-o days
nfter, the Blessed Virgin Mary repeated this invitation.
'r'owards the end of her meditation, she snw her by her
1ight side all entrancing with youth, grace, and beauty.
Rhe appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years of
age. Her eyes more radiaut th an the . sun and her complexion brighter than the dawn, :filled the Foundress with
ndmiration. 'fhe divine :Moth er said: "l am the shephercless of my Lamb. I am going to follow Rim to I..yons
t o which He and I call thee." Rhe lwstened to 1eply: '')[y
angn st Qu een, I follow you " ' ith the Joye and the delight
of m y h eart. I delay no loHgel' in PariR, I leave this eity
of the King to go with you1' ~on to the holy :\fount. Prepare for this jomney the thillgR mHl henrts that rnnst
a id me.m
'l1hc n e m~ of the <l ]Jproadliug <lepal'tme of the Fom1dre~R
spl'ead alann . 'I'hose who had experienced hcl' goodness
and th e power of li er in terce~si011, lookNl on her as thei1
pa lladinm, and con] d not 1e~ign thernsel Vl)R to loRing her.
'l'Ii e.v cm ne 1 grcnt nmn ben; i o ex1nef'~ feir ipgretR all(l
lJ\u t ograp hi c L if e , c- IJ . CX X X VIIT .
2 llii<l P rn , C' h . C XXX Yll.

~IONASTERY OF PARIS.-- TROUBLES OF THE FRONDE

425

to recommend themselves to lier prayers. U. Prizac, in

particn1ar, "'as inconsolable. He wm; now aclvanced in
years and had grent fear of death. Re had an idea that
he 'Yonld l>e stricken as soon as the saintly Mother had
left Paris, and tbat he 'Yonld neYer be given another
opportunity of rereiving comfort for his soul from her.
He said these things to her and she felt herself inspired
b~T a movement Of confidence to assure him that he would
not die so soon, and that he wonld see her again.
Our T..iord, as eve1-, took cme to verify this promise of
His haudmaid. 1L Prizac hacl to make a jonrney to
Prove1H'e in the ~mite of the King, and he stopped over
for several clays at Lyons, where he was ahle to see her
again a11d confe1 with her nt lengtb on the affairs of
his soul before rende1ing his acconnts to Gocl.
The distrss of secnl:-tr friends w:-ts nothing to that of
her daughters which " 'as extreme. S;ter Jeanne of J esus
de BJy, from pining over the Mother's departure, took
a fever which \Yas BO violent that it forced her to go to
bed. 'l1he good )Iother hesought her Divine Sporn;;;e to cure
her before her clepartnre, and He dicl so. Finally, after
having hied to console and strengthen them in the spirit
of the Yiitues of thefr vocation, she desig1rnted )Jother
.\Iary of the H oly G I10st N alla rel to govern the comm1mity,
and on Odober 17, 1()5:3, she tore herself mvay from their
tenderne~s and bade them aclien.
After the 'Yorthy 1Iother had crossecl the threshold, they
followecl he1 with their gaze as long as they could pereeive he1 and they sn\Y the coach which took her away ,
~eized by a crmnl of persons 'vho retarcled its course. 'I'hey
weie a 11 the neighb01s of the monastery 'vho were accustomecl to look on the good :).Jother as their patron saint,
'vhose heart was eyer open to sympathize with them and
"~ ho~e prayers were eve1 efficacions to assist them, and
they l'mne to express the regret they felt nt seeing her
deJJn1t and the mernory they woulcl eherish of he1 kinclness. ~Her chal'ity lrncl so often made them feel ho'Y
he1pfn1 it was," says :Jiotber de Bly on this subjed, " that

4~G

LIFE 011, .JE.ANNE CHEZAHD DE

~IA'l'I~L

thei1 cou fidenee j n onr w01thy ~lother made them eorne

to he1 iu thefr afflictions. suffel'ings, and lmv-suits. 'Yhen
they had m1y siek am011g thern, they had rrcourse to her
1'athe1 than to ilte pl1ysicia11s, alHl at that time they pub]il-'hed eve1ywhe1e the g1aces whieh they thon;ht they had
1eeei ved from Di vine P1ovidenee tlm.rngh he1 in te1eession. '' 1
\Yhile these tonching scenes we1e being enacted out~ide, the Siste1s "ho had lost sight of her and closed
the door of thei1 eloister behiB her, noticed that Sister
Elizabeth of the Nativity Gele was not among them. 'flley
immediately went h1 search of her and fonnd her on her
knees, bathed in tears and stified hy sobs in the very place
whe1e she had 1eceiYed the well-beloved ~Iothe1's last blessing. T'he Snperio1ess and the other Sisters did a11 they
con ld to assnage he1 sorrow, lmt in vain. T..Jike M:other
de Bly she owed her life to the holy Foundress, who by
her praye1s had hl'ought her back from the gates of death.
Tt seemed to 1Hl1 that, in her absence, all evils we1e to
ove1whel111 he1 arnl ihat 8he wonld never see the good
)[ofer agai11. r:I'hey did not Irnow how to console ber
and sent a messenger to tell of her state to the venerable
fravele1 who had uot yet gotten far from the monastery.
Tell my danghter of the Nativity," she replied, '"that
r wish her to diS('Ol1tinue her weeping. Assme her that
I "'ill p1ay for her intentions, and that she will not die
llefore she ~ees me again, and that she must be very
fe1ve11t so as one dny to be ranked among the seraphim.'' 2
Thcsc wo1'(]s ha<l ihe desired effeet of resto1i11g, to the
pom cli~tressed sonl, pcace and courage, and she arosc
icady to make fp sacrifice demarnled of her.
f n the rnidst of tl1is eho1118 of iegret and venernti011
which ae<ompa11ic<l tlIP <lepal'tme of' the ~fothc1 Foundl'ess,
<lil-'<'m'(ls of e11Yy still ma(le the11n-;PlYcs hemd. The rela1i\'PN or jf. de la Pinr<li<\1e thonght thnt the dcpmtme
of jfo1he1 <le Mnt<>l wonld be thei1 oppol'tnaity fo gain
111<> po~~p~sion of his littlc da11ghhl1. Bnt 11H f'nthe1 wm;
~o l'ai from e011se1d-in: to this, ih:1t hc wishP<l her to go
l M ;11111s e ript l\kmoi1 of' l\lotlier (fo H ly , ch . XIX.

:? 1hill ern ,

::\I)J~\STEUY OF

PAUIS.- TnounLES

OF THE FHONDE

4:?7

to Lyons, just as the Countess de Beauvais also wished

the educa6on of her own dnnghter to be continuecl under
the s11pel'visio11 of l1e1 saint1y frhind. Y\'"hen they saw their
desires Jnrnnted, they accnsed ~fother de :Jlatel of im1wndence. For severnl yean;;, the end of antnrnn hacl been
1ainy and cold. r:ro ex1JOse a child of four years to the
fatigues of ~mrh a long jonl'ney, in sut:h a season of the
year, "\vas not this jeopardizing he1 health and life and
sacrif:ing alJ to a fancy? rro these .reproaches the good
)fother made only one 1~esponse, a ina~'er. Sbe besought
her inYisib]e and divine Sun to deign to . permit our visible
snn to Ught and wmm her whole route. ~he was heard
so efficacionsly that she received a letter in the month
of Novembe1, saying that the fie " 'enther which was enjoyed in Paris W<tS there ealled, tltc 8ll11uucr of Jlothcr de
Jlatcl. ""Tt rnight baye better been tnllecl the sun1111cr of
' the lncanwtc 1Forrl!"1 she 1eplied.
Dming: this jomney, the rnys of gn1ce were not less
enlightenillg or comfo1ting to hei soul. \Yhen they ar1ived at I1riare, ~I. de la Piardi1e exp1essed a desfre of
going to see the canal. rrhe worthy :\Iother said she would
spend the time of the halt, before the Blessed Sacrament,
near Him \Yho is the s1ni11g of lfring waters and 'YI10se
Rae1ed wonnds po111 them ont in p1ofu~ion over souls that
Reek on1.r His love. She was of this unmber. Scarcely
had she knelt down " he11 ~he felt in her heart an overtlow of . gTfe, he1 Rpirit waR rapt in Goct and she hemd
the wonls: 01irt ur stclla e.r .] ocob) virgo }Jf'perit saJvatorcm. '"':I1hNe shal] ii~e a sfar from .Jacob, a virgin has
bro11ght forth the Savior." 2 She then phmgecl into the
myste1y of the "Tord l)OJ'll of a Yi1gin Jfother, and was
lJowing clmn1 profoundly in ad01aiion, whe11 the Divine
~raster made an application of i hesc words to herNelf and
s~lid: "\Yhile remaining a vi1gin i11 imitation of :Jly incornpmable ~Iothe1\ thon sha1t 1nodncc :\Ie by ~Iy Institnte. I haye ehosen thee as )fy stm, through wlwm l
will shine, and thon wilt bring :\Ie fo1th auew.m Eaeh
1A utographic Life, ch. CXXXVI l f.
2Num. XXIV, 17.

3Autographic Life, ch. CXXXVIII.

LI<; OF .JE.ANNE

CI-IEZ~\IlD

DE ?\IATEL

mo1ia~tery fonnded hy thn t ble~se sponse of the Incarnate

\Vord, was an extension of His Incarnation. The star
finally mose above that dear house of Lyons, which had
so long awaited its Ravi or!
The jonrne:r ltad a lmost ended when an incident ocenred which might h~we had direfnl consequences, but
\Yhich only manifested more elearly the rniraculous assista nec wi th w hi ch He aven su nounded the sain tly traveler.
T'he eoachman of ~L de la Piardire did not know the
ioads and u~nally lrnd heen following behind the stage
in whir.h the Alde'i-men were traveling. One day he thinks
his guides have made too long a halt, and goes ahead
of thcm nntil he fimls hm.;elf in a path which is not only
impassable, but end~ 1 a frightful pre.cipice. The situation lias not been noticed by the venera ble l\iother or
the Abb, \Yho are absorbed in heavenly conversation,
or by their companions who are rapt in attention. Soon
the horses, frightened by the sight of the precipice, refuse
to go forward in ~pite of the b1ows of the driver's wh i p. A
lond voice is he<ud crying out: ''Stop! Stop!" T'he curtaim; are drawn aside, the travelers look ont and see 1hat
the vehicle is only half a foot from the precipie ! 1'his
wonld h~we been enough to paralyze all with fear, but
manifestly the goocl J_.ord is taking eare of thern. He is
earnc~tly called npon and while the Abb and the coachman are looking for a wa.r to ietracc this false step, a
hor:-;eman, clothed in Jed and mounted on a superb steed,
~ncldenly appears and shows them how to extricate thernsel ves from theil' dange1-.
After having gnided them
back to the plain where thei1 traveling cornpanions are
anxioui-::ly awniti11g tltem, lit snddenly vani~hes from their
l"ight.
As ]Je11inps it hm; alre<ldy hePn ob~01ved, thcre is scarcely
one of the jomHeys mHlel't<1ken foi the extension of the
01der of the TncmnaiP \\rord, which is not attended with
:te<"idc11ts immineutly <la11geron~, Hll(l ayoided by an extra-
01<liuai-.r iutp1ypntio11 ol' P1ovid<}uce. 'rheie is evcr rnnnif'<}st tl1 is ~pite of' hel 1 mHl th is p1oteetio11 of HPave11.

l\ION"\.S'l'ERY OF PARIS.-

TilOUBLES OF' THE FRONDE

429

\Yben the tnweler~ wel'e ('Omiug 11cm Hoaime, feming

the hon01s whieh might be given he1 h.v ber fellow townsmen, the venerable Mother waR filled wif snch pain that
l\f. de ln Pimdire noticed it from tlte dianged expression
of he1 conntenance, aud askecl . he1 its canse. She con' fessed it with her habitnal simplicity and proposed to him
to pass tluough the city withont Rtopping, although for
nearly twenty-five yenrs she had not ~een her family. But
Our I..01d had ])]'epmed for ber vil'tne a victmy whith wns
more remal'lrn ble th an this sael'fice, tha t of iemaining humble in the midst of those incomparable friumphs whkh
are aeco1ded only to sandity, and of remaini11g detaehed
muid manifestations of tende1est affection.
At ~orne distance from the city, the1e were seen ad
vaneing in the company of -:\fr. de G1ima11d, Lord of B1iselet
.and brother-in-la ". of )f othe1 de ~fa tel, her nephew ~Ir.
Dumas, the commander-iu-dtief of the army of the Duke
of Savoy, l\f r. Severat, and other mem be1s of her family,
who were corning out to meet her. As soon as the news
of her arriYal was spread, everybody wanted to see her.
'rhe lowly and the g1eat ded with one nnother in wishing to speak with the vene1able I11 omHll'ess, and to 1ecommend themselves to ber p1aye1~. The honse 'nu; invaded
\vithin, and besieged \vithout, dnrillg the three days sojonrn
\vhich she was to grant to the urgent clemands of her relatives, who did not know how to show her their hap1JiI1ess
and veneration.
Dnring the wliole tline, lates Mother de Bly, her
family lpt the bouse always open and the tabie always
prepared, ill 01der to please the 1rnmerons visitors, and
ro rlo honm io thefr saintly relative. 'Yl1en she }vas obliged
to go ont of the hou se to ehmch, shc Na w herseIf SUITOUIHled
by a crowd so irnmcrous and compact, that she was ealTiecl
along by it. Eaeh one tl'ied to ontdo the othe1s in approachiug, addressing:, aml acclaiming hel'. In the midst
of these on1tions, the good l\fothe1 remniued insensible
to honon;.; and a strange1 to ber kin. ''In the midst of
the joy ma11ift>sted hy the people,'' ~he avows, "and tlie

430

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\1.A.TEL

gem~1osity

aml cmdiality shmn1 by my relatives, my soul

iemaiued united to Yon aud eonl<l uot 1elish this applause.
lt found ih~elf a shanger among those nearest to me.
Nevel'theless J exp1essed my satjsfaction, so as uot to
rebntr auy one and uot to chill the hope they had of my
ietmn when Your P1ovidence would so unler.m
I t was onl.r lJy means of these promises that she succeeded in tea ring he1self a wa.r. All wished to keep her
mnong them. The quarte1 uf a century, which had elapsed
since she left he1 untive city, liad not effaced the profound impreRsion left of her sanctity. And now that she
had corne back as the Fonndress of an Order, \Yhose monastel'ics I>etfumed with the odor of sanctity the places whe1e
they were fouuded, all wished to possess one of these
monasteries m1d elairned that the.r had the first rights
to it. The good )lother did not hnn a way from these
soli ci ta tions, lJut iemi n ded her friends tlrn t, lJefore undertaki ng m1y other e11te1pri~es, she had to return to Lyons to work
at the canonical estalJlishment of the bouse of the Congregation, and that, onee this w01k was completed, she
wou1d do justice to theit- request. 'l"'herefore they were
Hepmated from her "'ith the hope of a ieturn which would
lJe early fl(l p1oductivc of fruits of grace.
Jiother de l\fatel had a siucere desi.re to fonnd a convent in her natiYe eity. 'l'hi~ w~1:--; \YP ll Jrnown. On .June 3,
of that yenr, 1G5:~, F;1 the1 Cfrisolun of. the Society of
~ J esus, who was p~~~ing throngh Homme, "Tote to her:
"I finally anivctl at Uoanne and fonnd there, not only d;positious fannable to you, lJnt even impatience to see and
welcome yon. HowPvel', 1 eaRe you propose to cstalJlish
yonrself then~, yon rnm~t Hot Heglcct to olJtain the support of the nnthodty of the Duke of Homrnais. I leave
you io inwgine the joy can~e<l me h.v the high esteem an<l
;\tfccti011 or nll t]l( people he1c for you."
'l'his ~Hl\ i io ti-.r to gaill the snpp01t of the Duke
or Hommai~: Hecoide with the vjews of Mother de l\Intel.
Hli e 11rns t have made no <lei ay in so 1id ti Hg Ji is perm issi Oil
1.\ntogT;1p!Ji c Lif e, C'h. CXXX YJlI.

~IOXASTERY OF P.AilIS.--TROUBLES OF THE FRONDE

431

to found a house at Roanne. Yre haYe at hand bis act

of authorization. It will not be uninteresting to iead this
oenrnent although, as we shall see, the project was neyer
realized. 'Ye give this document in full. It is dnted
in the month of August of the same year, 1G53.
"1Ve, Arthur Gouffier, Duke of Roanne, Peer of France,
~Iarquis of Doisy, Count of .etc., etc., Lieutenant General
of the armies of His ~Iajesty , to all present and future,
greeting.
'
"At the ref]nest which has been nwcle, to us, by ~Iiss
Jeanne de Ma tel, Founclress of the Religions of the 01der
of the Incmnate. W'" ord, to permit her to bnild and fonlHl
a monaste1~7 in the city of Roanne, there to establish the
Religions of her Order, and eonsidering that this e~tab
lishment would bring mnch utility and adornment to the
city, \Ye, after having deliberated on it with our counei1,
'have permitted and grnnted and do hereby permit and
, grant by these presents to the said Miss de Matel to aequire a place or house in 01der there to build a conYent
and to establish in it the Religions of lier Order, and in
ease that the said place which shall be acquired b~T the
said Miss de Matel or by ber Religions to establish the
said couvent and its enclosures, is sitnated in onr mnnor
and 101dship, by a special favor and to give the Religions
a motive to pray for our person and house and snccessors,
\Ye, the Dukes of Roanne, have remitted and quitted and
do quit and remit by these presents to the said Indy, the
1wlf of the indemnity belonging to 0111selves for the snicl
lands, to the amount of only four arpents, for the building~ and the surronndings of the said monastery, \di h
the condition of placing our arms on the entrance of the
c01iyent and on the keystone of the arch of the clrnrch
\Yhich shall be constrnctecl. 01 on the most prominent part
of the same. \Ye eomrnand the officialf' of onr said Duchy
of Roanne, whoever they may be, to leave the snid ~li~s
de :Mate1 free to enjoy the content of theRe presents, so
that neither they 1101 the inhabitant~ of the snid placr
may 01,pose n11y i m })ed i ment to it, i 11 test i mou y whereuf

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE :.\IATEL

"~ e

have Rigned these presents and have made onr seCl'etary co11nte1sig11 them and plaee npon them the seal 6f
0111 arms.
Pn ris,

~\

ngust D, lG53.
Signed: ....\.

nr

DuK1~ OF Ho.\.~~Es.

11o~SJ<;~ou

FACO~NET/)

'

CH.APTEH XXIY
Establishment of the Monastery of Lyons

1653-ln55
8ome of the entllu~iasrn which had welcomed ~1 other
rle :Jfatel to Homme, awaited also her entry into Lyons.
\Yhen the Pmisian cmaym1 composecl of seYenteen versons
aniYed at the gate of Saint-Just, the President Chausse
and some of the tra \e1ers criecl ont to the guards: "This
is Jlother de :Jfatel ! This is :Jiother de :Jlntel '." AH Yied
\dth one another in their haste to run and salnte her
am1 vresent her their compliments so that no one thought
of clemanding her passport. Tlle saintl,,- .:\I other, who
looked at all things from thefr snpernatnral sicle. sa,,
in this oYersight onl~~ the homage ienclered to the soyereign
}[aster \Yho was going to establish Hirnself. th rough he1-.
in that city. "It is Yon." she sap. "\Ylw ente1 a~ absolute Lon1, 'dtbont anyone interrogating _Yon or asking
Yon ycho You are.'' 1
8he had semTel.'- passed throngh the gn te \Yllen she
fonn <1 he1se1f in the }Jresence of a grea t multitude accompanying to h.; la~t resting place a good Lyonnese gentleman who was wel 1 known to the Fonndress. :Jlost of tho~e
pe1so11s \Yere he1 atqnaintances. Thus the funeral cortege
snddenly presented a new aspect. :Jioun1ing was ieplaced
by joy. lt \Ya s 110\Y a rinestion of who conld be 1hst in
\Yekoming tlle n?ner0ble Jfothe1 nnd in demo11~ati11g hi:-happine:--.~ at ~eeing lier agnin.
~he remmk:-; that' this "?a~
a great m01tificatiun to he1. Finally she nr1iYec1 nt her
l1ear hou:-:e on tlie holy :J[ount. hnt befu1e c1ossing it~
th1~holc1. she in;o:"trnte<1 he1~elf at the feet of Him \Yhom
~he nd~nmded~ed H:" the on] y ~J n~ter.
"l entered the exte1i01 elwpel... :;:lie ~ny~, "<md mnde the 8,te1s \Yhom
I h1l1 lnuught from Pari~ chant the l ~ eni Crratr)r, in ordel'
to ente1 om n1011nstery ns holy Simeon entered the 'Tem1--\utogr a phi c Lif e . ch . CXXXT11I.
-1 33

LIFE OF

JEAX~E

CHEZARD DE :;.\lA'l'EL

ple, in Your Rp-it. l adored You in Yonr small Tabernal'.le m; my g1eat God, and submitted myself to all Your
desires. Yon sa id to me :1 A sccnde) tu q11 i r vangeli~as
Sion: cxfllfa in fortit11diur voccm tu(lJu, noli timcre. ''Ascend, thou wl10 bl'ingest good tidings to Sion: with courage rai se thy voire, Fear 11ot. ":2 rrhe reason for this interior
exhortation was sooH diselosed. 'l'he good Mother's fst
glanc at her daughte1s, while embracing them, reYealed
that the lnnnility, sim])lfrity, and love for poverty and
mortification, which had formerly reigned among them,
had been replaced by worldliness and vanity. She unde1stood that sbe needed to arm herself with courage and
stl'ength, to combat against dispositions which were so
nnbecoming in religions.
~rhe news of the sain tly :Mothe1's return sprcad rapiclly
outside of the e01iyent and was wekomed as a lJlessing.
)fany eagerly hastened to visit her. Rome old men who
were nonagenmians, and others who were even centena1ians, could not be held _ ack by friends who feared lest
the~T wonlcl faint whHe atternpting to ascend the hill, they
ieplied that they hacl been "raiting only for the consolation of seeing the good ~f other de :Ma tel again before dying.
~\nd in fact they achieved the happy encling of their pilTimage on earth shortly after this consolation had been
yanted them .
One of the visits which afforded consolatiou to ihe
Foun(hess, was that of 2\L Deville, the fol'mer Yiem Geue1al under Monsignor de Richelieu. Ile came witlwnt
deb1y to fnlfill the 1nomise he had foade to the dying
Prelate, of ietmning to the Foundress the writings whieh
the Canlinal had taken away from ber twelve yem8
before .
. : \ftc1 all the cxarninati011~, to which these w1iti11g8 had
hee11 :-;nhjeded hy the two Cmdi11al~ of Hichelieu, Hot a
wonl lt H(l he,11 e1a:-;e,1, 11 ot a pa~c ha <l h(en px fr a ete,1.
1 ~~\'Pl',Ylhin; ha<l heP11 1esptde<l.
'rlwy w<re en~u retm11e<l
i11 tlw ~arne caf.;kct in whi<-h thPy lut<l hPen etnied away .
. \ltl1ot1;lt thi~ \' 11wtl approlwiiou of the \\Titi11gs \Y<U-i oniy
1,\

uto gTn pl1ic Lik, c l1. CXX:XIX .

:.! Js. X L . !I.

ESTABLJSHl\IEN'l' 011' THE :MONASTERY OF LYONS

435

irnpJicit, yet it cmmot be denied that it was of great weight,

in v=-w of the dispo~itions of those from whom it emanated.
!\Ioreoyer, JI. Deville descl'ibed to ~Iother de l\Iatel the
transfo1ma tion which liad gradually ta ken pl ace in the
deceased Pl'elates Rentiments ,~ith reganl to her, as he
watehed the progress of his disease, from which, against
all appearances, she had foretold that he would die. \Yhat
lrnd been his regret at bis opposition to her, and how
he had longed . for her 1eturn to Lyons, so that he might
he able to erect her monastery before he died. In this
there was grent encourngement for her to labo1 for this
work which was still to be opposed, but of which the
Divine Savior declared Himself to be the Protector.
~Iother de :uatel arriYed at L~' ons ou the feast of All
Saints, and, 011 the next (lay, ~ovember 2, 1G58, she bas. tened to send M. de la Piardire to announce ber retnrn
and to present her homage to the Abb of Saint-J nst, who
had become the Vicar General of his brother, Monsignor
Camille de Neuville, as she had predicted when she had
1escued him from the ja,Ys of death scarcely a year before. M. de la Piardire was received most courteously
and all went well as long as there was question only of
himself, but as soon as he spoke of Mother de Matel, the
scene was changed. The Vicar General assnmed an indifferent attitude and showed nothing but coldness. The
Abb de la Piardire conld not believe his eyes and, not
understanding the situation, he begged to be informed
how it was possible that he had awakened only such indifference by presenting the respects of a verson whom,
for so .many years, the Yicar General had l10no1ed with
h is esteem and friendship.
'elle solution of the enigma was that the Abb SaintJust felt 11111-t and believed that he sa w a lack of deference in the eomlnrt of ~Iother de ~fatel. He considered
it w1011g for he1 to leave rmis and ring Sisters from
there to Lyons without his anthorization. In vain 1\1.
de la Pimdi1e alleged that lette1s of obedienl'e h-ad been
a~ked from ~f. Deville wl10 was acting as Ykar General

43G

LIFE OF .JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE l\IATEL

dur1g the iutel'l'egunm ~ and that if there was m1y fault

it onght to be imputed to himself alone who hacl hastened
her departure, RO that there was no time to advise the
Abb of Saint-Just; that, as for the Foundress, it was
a joy fo1 her to C'Ome and thr~rnT he1self at the feet of
he1 new Archhishop whose kindly dispositions towards
her harl been told her by his friends in Paris and were
believed by her to continue to exist, for, cluriug many
years, she had prayed for him and had asked of God
that he wonld be the snccessor of -:\Ionsignor de Richelieu .
.( \11 these reasonings left the Ahb of Saint-.Tnst still cold
mul clissatisfied.
~I. de la Piaidire, after having retnrned to l\Iother de
l\Iatel, in order not to pain he1, trie<l to appear satisfied
with the visH. He kept ie1)eating: I have been too
well receiYefl and he has clone me too rnnch honor." The
snintly :Mothei iemarks that ""he was too eivil and charitable to speak to me otherwise." But she had received
an intnition of what had taken place and said to him:
'"..:-\11 goes well for yon, but the1e is colclness for me. Yon
me too sincere to hide this cross from me. After the
Rcnedict us of Palm Sunclay at Hoanne, I am ready to
bear the Talle of Goocl Friday a.t Lyons! If the Lord permits it 01 does it, l have nothing to say, and I conform
myself to all His designs or permissions; I will imitate
Abraham and hope agaiHst despair ! Dear Love, all this
confid enee whieh I felt in the superior part of my spirit
left the infe1io1 part astonished and sad. \Vate1;s were
:-.; epmnted from wate1s. I saw a solid wall of confidence
in You , and wnters of rnif4trusi in myself and I said to
Yon : ' Lmd, I commen to Yon my cnm;:e which is Yonr
ow1L
1 am S<Hl aml solllewhat fronble<l <tt haying displca~ e d rny rasto1.' "1
~fotl101 de l\l;del ,,. ,.~ nl~o to tirnl toldm):-;s in other
h0mts, on who~c <011ti<h)11ce all<l <le,Tot0<1n<}SR it seemed she
~honl<l lwve nlw;tys eo1111ied.
'l'he eC'ho of tlw complaints
;t1Hl rn111m111R <t1ons<)d i11 PmiR hy h0r <}xte1i01ly Reenlm
1 ~\ 11 to gT: 1pll f'

l,if p, e Ji.

C XXXTX .

ESTABLISH:i.\IE~T OF rrHE :JIONASTERY OF LYONS

437

state, 1ekonnded at Lyons and l>eyond it. Those who

did not know that she 1e11Hlined in this state to obey the
forma] 01de1~ of God, were astonished at it and disapproved of her. E' en Father Gibalin who knew her so intimately, and held in SlHh high esteem her lights and straightfonyardness, hacl endecl by yielding to the influence and
sharing the sentiments of those "'\Yho hacl judged her withont a heming. Rome months befo1e she left Paris, the
J esuit, Father Gdsolon, had written to her from Lyons:
i.r ha ve heard tlwt Father d'Aix and Father Gibalin do
not a1Jprove of ,rom conduct. They express astonishment
that, dnring sueh a long sojourn at Paris, you have made
so little }Jrogress, and they sa3 tha t you will die 'vithout
having taken the habit. " 1 Fifteen days la ter, the same
Father w1ote to Ristel' Eli as of the Cross, of the monf;tery
of Paris: "'I have '"011 over to your "Jiother, Father d'Aix,
and he has promised me that if he can be of service to
her, he will render it henrtil.L But as for Fathe1 Gibalin,
he is so rucle, contemvtnous, and scowling, that I do not
knmv how to approach him.'' 2
Hmveyer, this "rude" Fathe1 Gibaliil was one of the
first to lay dmvn his al'ln~. ..:ls soon as the venerable
: \lother, with her usual candor, had made knmn1 to him
the varions ways by 'vltieh God had manifested to her
His will with regard to her exterior engagement in the
religions state, he eould not resist the evidence and became
agah1, as formel'ly, her defender and upholder.
Al 1 th ose who dis a p1noved of "Jlother de "JI a tel's course,
did not always act towarcls her with the same rectitude
and frankness, bnt she met the greatest opposition to
her plans arnoug the members then composing her own
honsehold of Lyons.
After "Jiother Helen Gihalin had goue to Avignon to
take the habit of the Ch-der, and Sister Elizabeth Grassetean who had succeeded her had departed for Heaven to receiYe the reward of her heroic sacrifices, the monastery
of Lyons harl not been governed by a superioress with
7

1Letter from Father Grisolon to l\Iother de l\Ia tel, da te cl Lyons .

June 3. 165:1.
zLetter dated Lyons, June 19. 1653.

4:38

LIFE OF

.TE .\~~R

CHEZARD DE i\fATEL

enongh anle11t zenl 01 :-;;oli<l Yil-tue to hold, to the 11mrow

path of religion~ i1erfection, souls that were bonncl to it
hy no obligation except l<we for 1)1e Incainate 'Yord and
the cle~ire to become His sponses at some future clay.
'Phence the motherly remonstrances "'hieh the Fonnd1ess
feH it ber clnty to make, "ere not understood. 'l'hey irritated instead of enlightening, and those in whom the
wol'ldly spirit had made the greatest ravages, took the
<letermina tion to withdraw rather th an enter on a life
which wns more sfrictly religions.
'l'his 'yas a ha1d trial for the kincl, faithful heart of
~'fother de ~Iatel , but, as always, her chmity came ont Yicto1ions. '~rhey departed far from the truf and their dnty,''
she says, "and withdrew to places where they we1e not seen
by my e.,res, but not to pJace~ where they were less loYed
by my heart which still cherishes them all and especially
he1 who had made the vow of stability. As I frlt clistressed
at these tlights in the '"inte1, Yon said to me thnt Yonr zeal
nlso formerly chased the selle1s ont of the Temple and that
y om~ Ronse nnu-;t l>e a Horn~e of praye1-. '' 1
'l'hese sndflening defcetion~':-1 did not eliminate the eYil.
On the contrmy, they "en~ only the JH"elndes of pnins and
lah01s whith the Fonndress was to spend 011 thiN estahlishme11t wh ich had lwen thought so easy to complcte.
I11 fis Joug tl, the good ~Iother wa~ evcr her own
Nelf, ni-; in all that shc snffPl'ed through tlw malieP of others.
Her chal'ity '"as nnwi11illg to dcse1ilJe thern. Only from
time to time somc sonO\dnl sighs which lJnrNt forth on
aeeonnt of hcr i.;;11 ffe1iHgs, hehny the distreNs of he1 heait.
'rhns, for example, in .Jnly, 1Gf>4, wc i-;ee her i11 ihe history
of he1 O\Yll life, <0111pcuiug the strnggles she ha<l to i-;nstain
to those of 8m11:..;011 flghti11g the enernies of the people of
Oo<l. ' ' i>mi11g ihi~ 111011111 of .Jnly, Yon wp1e for me the
Lion of the frihP of' .Jrnln. Yom sfr<)ngth ~rn<l NweeilleNN
we1e rny Nll ppo1t-, JJOt i o :..;a,r rny en igm a, w hi<' h 11 o 011 e will
011q11eheHcl with011t Yom explai11iug it i11 Yom own time,
f'o1 rny heart ('Ollf<leN iu Yon~ I>em Lo,p, 1 ~aw well tlwt
1

J , \ 11

t ogTaphi c Liff' , t' h. ('XXXIX.

individna1s who were mHl'cnmcised in their hearts .and

who did not love Yon, lwted me and strayed away from
10111 desigrn.:.
~fy spirit wns ~eized "ith zeal foi Yonr
honse, which gave me spfritnal pmyers and reasons to conqner them, 110t with the jawbone of an m, nt "ith the
mouth of Yonr little danghter npon whom Yon vonrecl forth
graces 'Yhich ('Onfonncled them for Yom g1ory. 'l'hese Yict01ies be1ong to Yon, my ado1able Conqnerur. Triumph
as the most ~fighty nnd the most PmYerfn 1 in battle and as
the Lord of hosts. Enter aH. the King of glory into hearts
which Jiaye resisted '{on, so that they will eo-ope1nte ,,ith
the graces of theil voeation.'' 1
'rhese a1ternating dctories 've1e far from lleing a definite
ti-iumph. ~rlrns Rix months later she addressed Rt. Paul who
endurecl so many Jabors to conqne1 for Cluist those of whom
.he had heen uuule the .A postle. "T heseet11 yon to heg Om
I..01c1, ~, \note l\Iother de ~ratel, "ilwt l may do a11 that is
for His glory and the salyation of my neighbor and of myself, and thnt I may not lose courage ainid the versecutions
inrtided u1_1on me, by those men and iYOmen "ho are showing:
singnhu ingratitude in the presence of God, and of certain
pe1Rous whom I do not wi~h to 1evort. ecause they would
snffer mu eh shmne and migh t be imnished acc01ding to
their fault, fo1 whieh I. p1ay Yom goodness to pardon the
gnilt and to diminish the penalty, "hile I wait for these
indfriduals and for my;;.;elf the great jnbilee, so that Yom
diYine c1emency will absolve us entfrely miel \Ye wi11 all "aJk
in newnes~ of life." 2
Fnrther on she again says: "'These troubles 'diid1 I do
not mention here, are of sneh a natme tlint they would have
made me die a thonsand times, if Yon, DiYine Love, hnd
not giYen me a thonsnnd l iYes by continnnlly prese1Ting th e
life Yon had once giyen me. Yon told me that my reign
"'<lS in snffcrings; that DaYid snfferecl from his ehildren,
and tha t I woul fl snffer from mine. '' 3
1Autographic L ife. ch. CXLVI.
2Ibidem , ch. CXLIX.

:nbidem.

440

L 1FE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

~ \longidde

of fria lR which the go'lne~R of God gives us

to increa~e om recompense, His love always p1aces graces
which Rweeten tbem and mnke them meritorious. If :Mother
de :Jfatel np to this time had met "'ith extraordinary constmuy, the oppositions and contradictions with which her
emep1 had b1istled, n constancy which we have so often
ndrn iled, this 'n1s due to these powerfnl aids. They were
not ]a('king on the ne"' sorrowfnl path in which sh was
io fren<l. rrhe pngeN in which the pions Mother desc1ibes
the~w gyaee:-4 Pxha1e a perfnme which penetrates and ineh1intes the so11l. "Te 1cgret that we must resign omselves
i o bonowing only :t fpw passages from them. For exmnJJle,
one day it is -:\IoseR who app<. a1s to her canying two stone
tabh~ ts on which 110 \\Titing appems, and Onr Lord nrnkes
her mH1e1smd that shc mnRt 11ot despair of His designs
when evel'ything wldch nppa1ently onght to co-operate with
them wou1d be laeking or all \\'Onld refuse to receive His
t ommmHhuent~. beenn~e IIe ean ie-estnb1ish all things, as
f01mel'ly He engTaved His la"' anew on the ta blets of the
Legi~lato1 of f~1nel.
Agaill, on the feast of the Finding of the Roly C1oss,
)fay =~, 1 ()54, her Divine l\Iodel appeared to her under the
f'm111 of a Jam b walking n lone in a thick fo1est in which
the1e wns not one hlnde of gTass, and He sa id to her: "l\1y
chrng-l1ter, ..\Iy food is to do tliP will of My Father Who so
love men that He gnve His 0111y Son to save them by the
1l'eP of the C1o~s. I lO\'C the c1oss because by it I appear
and "'ill <tppear n~ the King of 1ove1s, as Love itse1f.m The
Pi,iue L:tmh, while exp1essing these sentiments, app1oached
he1 :rn<l :-\lit> sni<1 to Him: o most gentle, most dear Lamb,
do Yon "'i~ h me to he Yom shephp1dess? Yon know how,
from rny ('hildhoo<l, I l1m'P 1oHge<1 to follow Yon wherever
Yon g-o. Hnt f lw; . Yon to t<ll mP, my T~amb, was it You
1hH1- gallopP<l 011 the ('loll<l~ nrnl W,.ho, ns Your blessed
.. .:\lotliP1 111ttd< llH' 1rn<le1~tmHl, \\'-dit><l Io follow me all the
\\' :ty 1o Lyons'!
. \ l'<' Y011 11 ow <'Olll< i 11 to thi s fo1est to be
:1g:1i11 ~:t<1ifk<'<l :1~ :1 llH'<'k :rnd limnbl<' detim '! 0 my de:n
1

1. \ut() g rnpllic: Lire , el!. <'XLllT.

EST~'..BLISIDIE:.'\T OF THE ~IOXASTEUY OF LYO~S

441

Lo\'e, I eompreheud the my~_)1y. You become all to me to

gain me all to Yon. W'"hen Yon made rne, l'.ome hinmphantly
from Pari~, which greatly mmtified me, You gambo]e(l 011
the elonds. And i10w tlwt many are lrnmiliating me, by
resisting You mme than they resist me, Yon sympathize
\Yith me in this forest ,~d1e1e r am alone "Tith Yon alone.
Yes, my Savior, l kno\Y that T mnst suffer contradictions.
Afte1 all the co11traclictio11s wllich You suffered from sinners, Yon who are innocence it~elf, why shonlcl I be exempt
from them, I who am su eh a great sinner '? I can do all in
Y ou who sfrengthen rne, no ma tter w ha t resistance many
make to Y our designs. " 1
Six montbs later, on the Yigil of All Saints, 1G5J, as
she was entering the ehavel to make her eYening meclitation,
she hearcl the words: "'J'hon art called to the sacrifice." r CH i
ad victinwm. As soon as she had knelt clown, Our Lord rapt
her in spii-it to Himself, in a most snblime mam1r, and admitted her to the contemplation of ineffable myste1ies.
"Yon made me see on the altar a multitude of saints, among
whom I noted St. Peter. All these saints appea1ecl to me,
with bodies as agile as spirits. 'l'hey "'e1e nll C<UTying a
lamb that had no weight. ~:rhis lamb was a Yictim that
sacrified himself, and that they all simultaneonsly sacri:ficed. This sacl'ifice was not bloocly. I ts dea th was mystie.
lt remained entire while being commnnieatecl to all in an
ineffable manner. The maryels whieh T kne'Y and nnclerstood in the stah~ in which m ,Y sonl wa~, during nll the time
that I contemplated thef'e m:n~tmions dsions, eannot be
expressed .. I can only say with the Prophet :2 All. all, all _.
Domi1lc Deus. ecce uescio loqui. .AJ1, ah, ah, Lonl God, behold I cannot speak." 0
'l'his was one of th e most cliYine spectacleR which the
secr of Patmos had witne~Red with astonishment, and at
which the good )Jother hall now assisted. I t is not sn1prising that she came bal'k to herself from it in ecstatic bliss.
I t 'Yas in order to strengthen an fortify lier sonl for the
1Autographic Life, ch. CXLIII.
2Autographic Life , ch. CXLYII.
3Jer. 1, 6.

442

LIFE OF' .TE.\XXE CHEZ.\IlD DE

~L\TEL

<lolol'(rn:--; :--;;t<1i1it-e io wlikh he lind_uow Leen invited, tlrnt the

Larnh, i111111olaiPd frolll the hegirn1i11g of ille "011<1, hnd. for
l rno111P1ii-, a~so<ink<1 hp1 wiili l li11iRelf, in the joy~ of Ili~
t>le1nll ohlnti011.
The nex t tlny n 1W\V a ml kePn iTia l wnR nddcd to t l1 oRe
frorn whieh ~he wns nh e~1dy Rnffe1ing. SPve1a1 dnngt~rons
diReases, mnong which we1e sma11-pox and pernicious fever,
sndden ly seized )larie de la Pianli1e, whose relatives on
her mothe1's si<le, hfl c01 1~id ererl it a c1ime on her fathe1'R
pmt, to len ve her ~o f'nr mvny from himself, and they won ld
not fmgive him fm li e1 den th, if she Nnccnmbed to this illness. Eve1y al, remedy, and cme wns lnvished by the good
Jlothel' on lie1 little patient. But slie knew only too well
that lnunan rnen11s lia n no eftienl'y except that given to
them by Ood, and, dnring the tlnee rnonths thnt the danger
persisted, she pn1yed mHl wept incessm1tly, and finding
herself unwol'th.r to he he:nd, she nddressed herself to all
the saints, besecching them to ohtain tlrnt cme which was
so earnestly dcsi1ed.

Fnthe1 Gihnlil1, who lrnd enti1ely laid aRide llis prejudices, sceing he1 ill tltis fronbled stnte of miml, said to her:
" ~lothe1, you onght not to apprehend the death of this child.
'l'he Lamb that yon saw canied and offered by all the saints,
did not die. Ile was offcred n~ n victim and rernained alive.
~rhis vhdon ern hraces severnl mystcries, and promises you
great g1accs, intcri01 and cxtcrior. God always freats yon
as His fayol'te. I have n0v0r knowu a sonl fnt reeeives
from Rim sneh lnotecti011. He aceomplislieR nll the ]Wedi ctions \Yhieli He mnkes y<rn ntte1 for IUs gl01y and onr
achm1tagc. lf l lc hies yon. it is to rnake yon grcatcr in
i11c cy<ls of llirnself, Ili:-; m1gel~, and Ilis saints. Yon rnnst
h0 rnost g1atcfnl foi Ili~ goonesses and write thcrn nll down
with fleli ty and pen~eve1 mwc , foi Ilis glory and the nd' 'anm c11 Lof llis 01dc1. T am rno~d- aNRrncd of His Divil1e
~pfri t in yo11. '' 1
'l'h<l good ~fothe1 liad g1ca t need to be thns eo11~olP<l a11d
~mdainP<l. 'l'IH ])liy~icia11s who we1e freati11g l1c1 liHlc pa 1

1.\ u tng 1:i ph ic Life, c h . C:XLVTT.

ES'l'ABLISfDIE~T OF THI<J ::\IO~L\.STElff OF LYO~S

4J3

tient, feared thnt she herRelf wonld snccumb nnder her vigils, fatigues, and cares of every kind, for the small-pox had
been caught by t\\ro of her boarding pupih;;, and all the others had been sent a"~ay to their homes.
But, at lm, after tlnee months of the:-;e snfferings, her
supplications and tems we.re heard, and the health of her
dear little Parisian w as so th01oughly iestored that the good
1\fother could wl'ite to JI. de la Piardi1e: Our little )Ia1ie is getting along so well, 01 iather the wiud cm-ries her
along so fast, that '"e are all on the nm to follow lier and
to lift her up from her fall s. If God we1e not specially protecting her in these fall~. we would be in a state of continua] alarm. Her kuees and elbows <He ofteu skinned.
As for her face, it bas not a single mark from the smallpox.m
.Just as this paiuful frial wa:-; ove1, a g1eat sonow
<Mnlited the Fonndress.
On August 29, 1G55, Uothe1 ::\Luy of the Holy Ghost
X<11lard, on whose wisdom she had completely relied for
gniding the monaste1y of Paris. succmnbed, in twenty-four
hours, to an attack of cholic. Sh e wn~ subject to accesses
of this terrible illness, but her humility and modification
had eontl"lmted to this catastrophe a~ mnch as her ailment.
She was seized with a Yiolent paroxysm t\nnds eleven
o'clock, at night, on .A.ngust 28, but she waited :the hours
before ealling for help as she did not wish to distlub others
in their sleep. 'Yhen the bell had nrng for 1ising ~ she
dragged heri;;;elf dying, to the cell of "Jiother de Bly, who
endeavored to avett the imminent danger, bnt withont success. 'l~here _ "~as no remedy. In t he evening of that day,
this saintly SJ>Onse of Christ went t o ieceiYc the magnifieent c1own whiC'h had been prepmec] for lier eminent
d1tnes by the lo\'"e of he1 ioyal Sponse.
'rhe news of th is den th cansed J[other <le "JI a tel snch
dee1> so11.. rn that she says she iernernhe1etl no othel' 1ike it,
exeept the 1oss of ~iste1 Eliz;abeth G1asst>}au. ~lie ha<l,
nevertlicless 7 encln1e very gn~ at suffe1ings. )u1~ yet, if
1Le tt e r from l\Ioth e r c1 e Ma t e l to th e

1G55 .

~-\

lJb c1 e l a Piardir e, L yo n s,

444

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAUD DE l\IATEL

God gaye he1 any presentiment of the trials of which this

wns only the prelude for her honse at P:wis and for herself,
then the1e 'ye1e su fficient to bl'enk her heart !
S,te1 .Jean ne of J esus de Bly, while announcing thi~
painfu] eyeut, begged Mother de _l\Iatel to choose, from one
of her other monasteries a religions capable of governing
that of Paris and to send her as soon as possible. But such
was not the view of the l\Iothe1 Fonndress. She was conYineed that her dear danghtr de Bly, in spite of her youth,
was the person hest suited to perform these difficult functions and to promote the spiritual and temporal prosperity
of the monastery of Paris. 'l~heHce she "Tote to the Prior
of Saint-Germain laying her views before him, and begging
hirn to use his anthority to impose the bnrden of Superioress
on Sister ~r eanne of .J esns.
rrhe P1ior, fully approying this choice, came to the monastery, ealled Sister ~Jeanne of J esus Bly and showed her
the 1etter containing snch high praise of her. She was terl'ified and adduced her incapacity, her lack of experience,
and he1 twenty-three :years of age, but without snccess.
Seeing this, she asked for some days to consider the matte1'. This "~as g1a11tecl. Immediately she calls in an Abb
who is rela ted to her and whose merit gives him mu ch infl nence with ecelesiastical authorities. She succeeds in winning him over to her views and sends him to persuade the
Pl'ior to impose the office of Snperioress on ~fother Jeanne
of the PaRsion Fiot, one of the first five professed of the
01der, and al~o one of the fou11diesReR of the monastery
of PnriR. 'rhi~ .J[othe1, whoRe age wnR murh more advanced
than that of Sister .Jemme of .JeRnR, <lid not have the same
e11e1gy, initia tiYe, 01 tnct, but she was vel'y virtuous and
1rnrnb1y bowed hc1 he1d nuder the lmrden imposed by her
~11 pe1ior.
~1 otJw1 de Bt-Iy, "1'1 Pl' hPl' fll'l'l1 in~, i 11 "'hi ch she hies
io lP}) Ju~r i11eog11ito, aR it to11iaiHN foo rnnch in 1naise of
]1p1'NPlr, ct~k~: "' I >id i.hi~ young l'Pli:ion:-: of twenty-three
,\'Pt1~ do 1igld i11 H'tiHg thn:-;'!" " I <lo 110t know,'' Rlw l'e pli<~f-'; "I k11ow 011ly tlid oui piou:-: .\lotl1<)1 wa:-; 1101 Nlf..;fied

EST~\.BLISI-U1E:NT OF THE ~fONASTEUY OF LYO~S

445

with ber lack of Embmission in this affair. And God, 'Vho

loves obedience better than sacrifice, was not pleased. Therefore I relate these eircumst<rnces, not to praise this Sister,
but to say that from that time fonvard she becarne a frial
for the Yirtue of onr worthy Foundiess.m
This was, indeed, on the part of ~Iotber de Bly, a gieat
wrong which we shall haye to deplore. Rhe "'as never able
to overcome her ave1sion foi suve1iol'ity. Her confidence
in the lights of her saintly :\fotlter, whom she still held in
high esteem, and in the g1aces with "rhich the Incarna te
'Vord \Yould not lrnYe failed to b1ess her obedience, ought
to have been enough to outweigh the reason~ on which her
lrnmility relied to rleeline the office which \Vas imposed
n1wn he1 and which she nlways sought to Jesign ns soo11 as
pS8ble.
The friencls of the mmrnstery of Paiis saw how- necessary
a t that time wns the piesenee of the ~Iother Fonndress in
the capital, \mt could not hope foi her return until the
house of Lyons was estab1ished. 1'he1efol'e they sought
me::rnf.: to te1mi11ate the de1nys which were made to its
canonieal eiedio11. At first they had beeu giveu to uuderstnnd that the 11ew . . \rchbh.;hop was unwilling to make this
e~tablisl1111ent uutil be 'Yould be in i;os~ession of his o'yn
Bnlls. But 11ow be liad ieceived them. He had been con~ecrated and still he had not made up his mind.~
Her
frien d -s recogui zed tha t ue\'e1 had auy work been so mu eh
opposed. 'rl1e ineconcilabie enemy of the I nenrnate \Yord
'"as making desperate efforts to 1ne,'e1it the expansion of
au Orcler wholly devoted to the glory of Him agnirn~t \Yhom
he rose np from the beginning. Bnt the hom o1~ God was
soon to strike and before His absolute will nll ar1m; were to
be laid clown.
1Manuscril)t l\lemoir of Mother de Bly, ch. XXII.
~Mother de Matel says at this epoch:
"A ll who knew m y crosses
which were great, had pity on me, but to crucify me the more they
said: ''rhe Archbishop has so much sweetness for all but s hows non e
for you. Not long ago he gave permission to the daughters of the
Visitation to found a third mona s t ery in Lyons, ancl th e Abb of
Saint-Just is favorable to the Sisters of St. EHza.beth who h ave
establishe<l th e m se lves n ea r the Minim~. a nti. the Behuines of Fland er s h:-t\e tli e p e rmission to es 1:1bli s h U1em~el\l:~. i:ut nol)utly giv e s
a though t to your esta lJlishmen t.' "

44G

LlFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE l\IA'l'EL

Once more the Sovereign l\faster chose, as the prinl'.ipal

insmuent of His me1cies, Peter Sguier, the Chancellor
of F1ance, by inspiring him to write to :Monsignor de
~endlle, inquiring what was the cause of the ob~tacles to
the exeeution of a plan to which he was believed to be
favorable. r:rhis intervention had great influence.
Father Gibalin added to it his own solicitation, and the
Prelate iesolved to offer three )fn~ses to learn the will of
God on the affair.
':rhe more earnestly the i>ions Archbisho}J prayed, the
more inelined he felt to erect, without delay, this Order iu
his Archiepiscopal city. 1 'J'he1efore, on October 20, 1655~
he came to the monastery and told Mother de Matel that,
<1fter offering three Masses to obtaiu light to know the will
of God on the matter of the erection of her monastery, he
felt inspired to execnte it, and he now came to ask on what
funds he could count for the foundation of the temporalities.
I t is easy to imagine the ernotion of the saintly Foundr-ess. She had never seen the Prelate with ber corporal
eyes, bnt -from her first glance at him she recognized the
Pontiff, whom in 1627, in the vision announcing the death
of Monsignor Miron, the Divine l\Iaster had shown, raised
up with the altar at which he was celebrating. and of whom
He said: "Here is he who will establish the monastery of
Lyons." All that she lwd seen, all that she had heard, is
uow realized to the letter-. It is in the very oblation of the
Roly Sacrifice in whi ch twenty-eight years bcforc she had
sccn him c1evated above the earth, that this Pre1ate ''fnll
of affability, small in body, bnt g1eat in intellect,'' is inspi1e<l to establish her mouastery. 'rlie fidelity of her dem
LO\"'"e in accom1>lishing all the promises He lins made, innnda tps her soul with iucxpressible lmppiue~~. ""l was
anspmte<l," she sny~, " nt seeiug Yom promise vciified.m
1 lowPv(~ 1, sh e coll tTols ltP1 feeliug~ and givcs the <lc~i1e<l
1 i\ 1o 11 s i g n or <'a m i 11 e <l e N e u v i 11 e w a s I> o r 11 a t
R o m e. ~"\ 11 g; 11 s t 2 2 ,
1 fillfi. :111<1 1li eLl at L y on s, .J11n e :~ . lG!);L HP IJ:1<l 1ll<' virtucs of a, Christ inn :11Hl a. s tat es m:i11. J[ e wa.s prud e nt. ju<lidous. pions. an g e nerous . l l e <'s t a bli s h c d a t L yo ns , hesi<l e s th e monn s t e ry of th e In c arnat e
\\' or !l , se min a ri es. a hou se for r e p e ntant wom c n . and a hous e of th e
TI' nit ;1 l'i a n s.
:.!1\11t ograpl1i c Lif(', eli . CLlV.

ESTABLISH:\IEXT OF THE :\IOX.:\STEnY OF LYO~S

JJ7

information to the Arehbi~hop. ~he tells him tlwt she

in tends to eonsecrn te to this " -oik. e~i<le~ the iea 1 e~fa te
oecnvied by the Cong1eg:<ltion. six thon~a11d CTO"'l}~ for the
clowrics of six ielig:inn~. The P1elate t1eclmed this to he
sa tisf acto1y ~ and "-eut a way shm\'i ng g1ea t bene,-olen ce <UHl
promisi ng: to gi Ye soon the final \Yo1cl.
He did not make her wait long. T\YelYe da~-s afte1. he
again climbed the holy Jiount and anfred while the commnnity was chanting the Yespers of All Saints. He as~istec1
at them and dedaied that he was great1y eclified at the
manner in which the se1Yic:es "-ere conducted. \Yhen the
Office had endell~ be ente1ed the house and gracion:-:1: said
to Jiother de Jiatel. that after celebrating a fomth Jiass
to obtain great eertainty of the didne will , be bac1 become
superabundantl;- assured of it, and nmY came to accomplish
H. She g:aye him an account of all that had been clone since
the beginning of the Cong-regation. and sho"-ed him the
different titles to the hou:-:e. lands. etc .. the T"alne of which
was more than sixty thousand lines. The Archbishop then
tnrned towards Father Gibalin and the Abb of Saint.Just, llis brotbe1 and Yi car General, who had corne wi tll
him, and said to them: "This house is fnlly established.
I 11 it the Blessed Sacra ment re11oses and the clfrine office
is recited. I appro\e of "hat was doue by Jlousignor
"Jiiron and Jionsignor JJarqnemont, and I permit the ieligious habit to be taken... He did not mention the la te
Cardinal de Richelieu. "Let the minutes of the contract be
written, .. he saicl ... and I "ill sign it. " 1 2 After making the
Yisitation of the iegulm loeali ries and giYing _a fatberl.'
exhortation to the nssernbletl community. and telling the
\enerable Jiothe1 to giYe the Yeil to the Sister~ \Ytl10nt
clelay: he impartecl his hearty bles~ing and withdle"-
The grace so arclentl.Y desirecl and so long refusec1 was
at last obtainecl. The Feast of All Saints on whieh all the
Blessed seemed to han~ assem b1ed. in orcler to hless the
erection of the new mo11aste1y. \Yas eYer aftenyards obse1Tecl as the feast of the fonndatiou. But as to tria1s, the
1Docurnents. n o te F.
~ Au t o gr a p h i e Life, ch . CLr\T.

448

LI FE OF JE:ANNID C IIEZ.\.TID DE :\L\.TliJL

eud hml not yPt corne. Rdnn, who lind ht~Pn nrnqnished
on onP l inP, eoneenfrate<l ;t]l hiN fon'(?N npoll anothPr, to
Jetnrd, ns fu ns possfle, the Pxecnti011 of thP JWOj(_}d whicl i
wnl-5 the object of his fmions hnfo, arnl for i-;0111e yenn~ still
i h e venerahle Fonndress had to con tin ne to strnggle hefore
she eonld see in this honse the decdve ti-inmph of regnlarity and t h e religions spirit, over tlw worldly spirit which
had been infrodnce<l in h er absence. She does not detnil
these frials and ~trnggles, but everythi11g justifies the snpposition that t h ey w ere great and painfnl, since they hnd
the effect of preventing the Fonnd1'eRs from elothing any
of her dau ghters with the holy habit of her Order. Althongh,
as has been seen, the monastery was canonical ly e1ected in
1 G55, t h e tirst cerem ony of clothing took vlace 011 ly in lGt>l.
In the comse of one of these ye~us, l\f other de Ma tel
w 1ote in h er antobiogrnphy: I ieproved the fanlts Yrhich
J saw to be displeasing to Yon, as contrary to Yom Rpirit,
whieh does not dwell in hearts that me double, si11ee 1
kn ew t hat He said through Ecclesiasticns: rar du pl ici
rordi et laiis S('clcsfi8 et manibus 11wlcfacir11tib11s et pcc('(ffori tc J'J'am i11grc<licnti duabns v iis. "" " 1oe to them that
are of a do11ble heal't and to wi cked lips, and to the hand~
that do e \i l, arnl io fe si11ne1 that goeth on the enith two
ways." 1
"I am not as tond1ed that St. Peter eonld not bear the
lying of Ananias and 8aphira, becau~e the~ lied to the Roly
Spfrit, by whose anth01ity as well nf' by Yom own, 0, Incmnate
01d, 'Yl10 are th e 'J1rnth, he d<:_prived th e m of 1ife and
had them ca ni e ont to thefr tornh~ hy the persons who we1'e
at the door and witnessed the lie nmeocted lJy them, an
(~ \cnt that imqJil'Od g1eat app1< 1 hP11~io11 arnl fear in all who
i-;nw that to lie to the Holy ~pirit is <liflknlt to he vmdonPd.
'" T conld here W1'ite of th e jm;t pn11ishrnellt by ~mddell
denth 01 y accidellt, of ten 01 twelYc individnals who i11 ve11ted mnlicions calurnnies agai11~t h e1' whom Yon deign
to 111otPd 011 H<Tomit or Yo ur grnH1J1ei-;f' and not hc1 me1'its,
m-; ~he wm.; <ll l io Yon, frorn Ym1, hy Yon rnd f01 1011 . l

''r

ESTABLISII:i\TE~'l' OF 'l'I-rn ~fON1\STEnY OF LYONS

449

prayed to Yon to pal'don their cternal guilt and penalty,

m;v me1ciful Savior, as T ask this also for those who still
arc injnring me, arnl r heg- Y on to be plensed to pardon my
own sinB." 1
\Ve takc from a lette1 of Ser Frances G1avicr to
l\fother de l\Iatel, the fo1lowing passage wh ich refers to the
tribulations of the good l\fother at that same epoch:
"l passed the night of Oood Friday, in , complaining to
the Incarnate 'Yol'<l, of His pe1mitting he1 whom He ]oyes
to snffel' such e1nelties. )fy most dear l\Iother) I protest
that T feel all those blows whicli make me complain with
.J ob that while you are already afflicted with sickness and
care, thesc men and 'Yomen, irn;;tead of consoling you, seek
to beat you down on eve1y side. However, He 'Vl10, for the
glory of His spouse, permi ts the enemy of the nfost High
JO prepare amlrnshes to aftiict ber, always gives her, as
is seen on every occasio11, sength to smmomit_his attacks,
and with the rod of confidence in her Spouse to crush all her
enemies.
'Jt is trne that there are three things that cause much
trouble and disorder on this earth: first, those who arc
destined to ohey, wish to command ~ second, an impious man
who ahounds in wealth and uses it to do evil; third, an
ungrateful woman with whom you have been lmrdened by
doing a favor to ber and of whom you cannot rid yourself;
but a fourth, which cmrnot be tolerated any longer, is a
presumptuons "'oman who ns1111>s the place of he1 whom it
is her dnty to honor and re~pcei. 1 praise God that, in the
midst of all the al'tifires which they emvloy foi their base
aims, He raises np good people to defend the jnst cause
against the machinations of the malicionR.
'"I should like to see yon givc the habit to some of yonr
subjects of the honse of Lyons. 'l'his wonhl enconrage ns
a little and God wonld be ~lorified. I contimrnlly ]Jl'ay God
to strengthen and enlighten you mme and more.'' 2
Although God did not give immediatc ~ucccss to the good
~fother's efforts for this wol'k of rcfo1111 i 11 i hc Ilonse of her
1Autographic Life, cl1. CLXI.
2Letter tlaterl PnTis, 1\farch 3 0. 1657 .

450

LIFE OF .JEANNE CHEZAilD DE l\1ATEL

predilection, He put her on a way which was slow but sure.

As the Sisters "rho had corne with her from Paris were not
l~qnal to this task, ~he bronght some -from the monastery of
G1enoble. 'Vhen ttw snccess of these was not proportionate
to their z;eal, she fc~lt inspired to call from Avignon, )fother
Helen of Jesns Gibaliu and Mother Louise of the Resunection de Hhodes. These incleed were the great and saintly
religions whom the Incarnate 'Yord had destined to be the
fonndation stones of His edi:fice and to see it crowned with
mo~t ahundant blessings.
He gav an assurance of this to l\fother Margaret of
.J csns to console her for the sacrifice imposed by this separation. He showed Hinrnelf to her nnder the form of a
little child all joyons and eager to lead away her two dear
clanghte1s. He said to her: ''I will be with them and I
will be glorified in them." 'l'his hove alone could mitigate
the pain in a heart like he1s full of love and zeal for the
glory of her Divine Sponse. Hell seemed to have a presentiment of the immense good that was to be clone by these
two fonndresses and assmne(l the task of preventing it.
'ren days before the ti me decided upon for their depa rtnre, ~fother Helen of J esns, who was eminent in all
\Tirtnes but espeein l ly in hnmility aud chaiity, was going
<lown to the kitchen to prepare some food for a sick Sister,
when she felt herself pnshed invisibly with snch violence
that the noise cansed by ber fall made the Sisters belieYe
that she had roken all her bones. In fact, she was s:.everely injmcd, and could not move her limbs. IloweYer,
she iecovercd very soon.
Dming the jomuey, a11othc1 aecident which conlcl be
atfrilmted 01ily to the demon, came nem costiug the lifc of
the two Mothe1~ aud their attendants. As they were app1onching Saint-Vallier on a very good road, a whirlwind
raises their caniage into tlte nfr and throws it into a
meadm\T ten feet helow, tnr11i11g it over so completely that
it~ top is canght i11 a trce, the whccls remai11i11g i11 ihe ai1.
1n the m idst of the disaster, thPre we11 t fol'lh spontaHeonsly
from a11 li pR i hc c1y: ''0111 La<ly of the Sevc11 I>olors, hc1 p

ESTADLISH.:.\IEXT OF 'l'HE ::.10XASTEUY OF LYOXS

451

us. -'' This cry was so well heard by the :Jiother of :Jiercy,
fat all eame ont safe and sound from this peril. One of
their first cares \Yas to inqnire ''Thether there "-as not in
the neighborhood a chapel dedicatecl to Onr Lady of Sorrows. And in fact there "Tas a most beantifnl one in the
chnreh of the Fathers of the Third Onler of Saint-Yallier.
They offe1ed a eandle and had a :Jiass said in thanksgiYing.
Their Yehicle liaYing been ie1Jaired. they resumed their jonrney and arrfrecl at Lyons 'Yithont fnrther accident.
The rn )Iothers 'Yere "Telcomecl with g1eat joy; but
many trials and toils awaited them. Howe-ver, after many
sufferings borne in a saintly spirit, they succeeded in getting Jid of the individna1s "\Yho hacl made a study of th,Yarting a ll the efforts of other~ iegarcling religions clisci pli ne.
and they were soon in a position to g-ve the religions habit.
The venera ble S,ter Catherine Fleurin. who \'.-as the fst
companion of the :Jiother Foundress. but had been, up to
that time, deprfrecl of the happiness of taking the habit,
on account of the mission she had been fnlfilling at Paris.
1 the honse of Providence. was the fst to be invested and
receiYed the name of Siste1 Catherine of St. Joseph. This
'n1s on ~ 0\-ember 2. lGGl. On ~ OYem ber 25, of the following year, she pronounced ber Yows.
The oblation of a victim so holy and prepared by Our
Lord by such great trials and graces, 'yas to be the starting
point for abunclant benedictions. A waYe of love for the
ado1ahle Pe1sonality of the \Yord macle man, spread oYer
the Lyonne~e cit~-. SeYe1nl souls, seizecl with a 1011g1g to
eonsecrate themselves entiI-ely to Him. Yied with one another in the earnestness of their so1icitations to be aclmitted
into the monastery. For a eonsiclerable period~ there was
cYery month a re1emon.' of th e taking of the habit. The
friends of the Sisters '"en~ so enamonred of these ce1emonies. whid1 art? mo:-:t bc<tntiful. that. on one occasion, as
i lie postulant \\as en te1ing the cl ui~ter. after lm Ying hemd
the ~l ass and exhortation in the e:xte1ior e ha pel. the nrn ltitnde followed her so prel'ipit~msly tliat two of th~ religions
came near being c1ushed to <-lenth.

452

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.AUD DE .i\IA'rEL

Persous for whom it was impossible to share the lot of

these pl'ivileged ones of the 1ncaruate "Tord, wislied to he
specially aftiliated to the rder. To respond to these aspirations, in 1G6D, ~fonsiguor Camille de :Xeuville was obliged
to fonnd n confrnternity to whieh wonh1 be admitted per
sons of hoth sexes desiI-ous of sp 2cinlly COIH~ecratiug themselves to the W'onl W'ho becnrne mau to ~:nre us. Ou June
:_W, 1670, a Bnll of Clement X eonfhmed the erection of
this coufratenlity, nnd endowecl it with l'ch indulgences.
'_Phose who are ieceived into it, l)ledge themselves to houor,
in a spedal 11w1rne1, the 'y 01d macle flesh nnd the mysteries
of the redemption, and to imitate with lodng fidelity the
virtncs of which His mortnl aucl Euchmistic life are the
divine moclel. As a memorial of this conseeratiou mid as a
pledge of the special protection of the Incarnate 'Yord
and of the more abuudant ontpouring upou them of His
blood and merits, the members ieceive a red scapular, on
one side of which is embroide1ed the uame of J esns and
the erown of thorrn~, and 011 the other the initial letters
of the na mes of Mary and .Joseph.
The establishment of this pions association, which still
exists wns the frornplishment of wlrnt Our Lo1cl had shown
to the Ponndless when in 1G~5, bvo clnys after she had
left ber fa ther's h on se, He slHnved her a mountain on
whose summit 'YH~ the Eternnl Father ieceidng into the
bosom in 'Yhich He eternnlly begets His "Tord, all the
dnughiets of liiR 01de1 cl imhing this holy hill, followed
hy a mn ltitnde of person~ of hoth sexes and of every ran k,
who wc1e chanting with fpm: IA1etot11s: 811111 in ltis quoc
di('f<I s1111t milli: iJ1 <lo1J111111 noJ11iJ1i ii1J111,r;:. "I rejoiccd
Hi the thi11gs ihnt w<.~1e sti<l to llH': w<.~ ~lwll go i11to the
hon~<.} of i lie T.. 01d. ' ' 1
Thi~ rnom1t:li11 wnR 1el'og11ize<l by ~fotlle1 de ~l:el on
11<>1 fi1st visit to tlw hou :-:e in whih slH' Wls 1o (s1:lblish
111<> 111011:udP1y of' Lyo11N.

But
i11 th<

titi~

fr~li11

1111tltitl](h

or 1111k11ow11 JH'l"NOllS, who lll(ll"hed

of' IH1 <lHught<.'l'S ' :llld <li;t1d<.<l willi thern thcil'

11's a1111 C X X J . 1.

ES'l\\.ULlSH..\IEXT OF 'l'HE ~IO~~\.STEUY OF LYOXS

J53

Iw11pi11ess at beinp; also admittecl to dwell "With tbe W'" ord

in His adorable abocle in the paternal bosorn, \Yere indeed
the fe1Te11t Christim1s who '"~re so eager to share the
signal fayors '\Yth whid1 the "'"ord Incarnate endows His
Order.
l\Iother de jJatel "'"as fen }H"Yileged to fmesee the
great p1ospeiity which was llestined foi her com. ent of
Lyons. I t wa~ to become one of the most numerous and
ferYent eomrnunities of that religions city which possessed
so many other tlonrishing conYents. But the condition
of the monastery of Paris wns far from inspiring the same
secnrity. After the premature cleath of Jfother of the Roly
Glwst :X allard, jfother .Jeanne of the Passion Fiot had
lrnrnbly consented to take upo11 her ~honlders the bnrden
of supe1iorit.Y. The )fother Foundress had not been slow
to see that this load was more than she could carry, and
~oon felt the necessity of replncing her.
She cnst lier eyes
upon Sister of the Ho Ir G host Cheruit, one of the professed Sisters of Gre11oble 1 whose judicious spirit and solid
Yirtue were well lrnmn1 to her, and she asked )Ionsignor
Scanon to pennit her to be sent to the monastery of
Paris '\Ytll Sister Louise of the Assnmption de Sanrel.
'rl1is Prelate replied that lie approvecl of all that she judgecl
hest foi the w elfare of her Institute. and that she conlcl
dispose of her Sisteis of Grenoble as she desired. HmYe,. er thi:--1 change was not tu take place.

}. t that time the commn11it.Y of Grenoble was goYerned

by )f othe1 Elizabeth of ~a 1Yary Gerin, whose p1esnmptuous
nature ~rnd obstinate wi1l fixed on what her snperficial
mind I'l'}nesented as the hest thi np; to do. were to make
of ltei the ~tee1 instnmw11t hy whith Dfrine Pr0Yide11ce
wns to e11g1aye 011 the hem-t of the saintly )fofel', the
1ikeues~ of .J e~lls crmi fied. This Sn perioress, a f'ter bcing
to1d of the obl iging: di:-;po~itious of the nishop, ga,..e him
to u11de1stand that she kue". better the kiud of subjects

454

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE 1\1ATEL

needed by the ~fother FoundreRs, and begged his perm.;sion to take them to her. r:ro thi~ the good Prelate gave
his consent.
\VHhout having give11 a11.r notice, the Supe1ioress of
Grenoble arrived at Lyons a<:compauied by an ecclesiastir_,
a secular, and four Sisters, mnong whom Mother of the
Holy Ghost was eonspicuons h.r he1 absence. Snch usurpation of autho1ity deserved a lesson. ''0 m.v danghter, what
have you done ?" l\1other de Ma tel said to her. 'I asked
for only two Sisters and he1e yon bl'ing four. You have
doue this without waiting for the anthorization of the
Arch bishop of LyonR, wi thon t knowiug whether I a pproved
your course, or whether I wouhl be willing to receive you
ito this house. You ought not to have acted thus." 1
Tf the pions l\fother had not listened to the promptings
of her charitable heart, she "~ould haYe obliged Mother
Elizabeth Gel'in and her compauions to return immediately
to Grenoble. But it was night, and she was umvilling to
make he1 innocent danghters snffer for the fault of 011e,
or to inflict ou that one snch a gTeat humiliation in pl'esence of her inferiors. and therefo she opened to them
the 0001 of the mounstery.
l\Iother ElizalJeth Ge1iu alleged her good intentionR, and
~nid that she had understood that the Mother Foundress
neerled mmr snbjects for Lyons and Paris and tlwt it
was best to take advantage of the present kindly dispo~i
tiorn.; of the Bishop of (irenoble, ete., etc.
'f'he worthy
.\loiher heanl what f-\he Raid, but eleal'ly m1derstoo<l what
she di<l i10t Ray. Her real motiYe in uot lJl'inging )Iothe1
ol' the Holy Ghost wns her ho11e to h(J ReBt to Pmis herl"elf. 'Phe capitnl appemed to ht)l' a wider field for hcl'
zen L as she pidmp<l it in hcr own conceit. Rhe lJelieved
tha t the l\lothp1 Fom1d1c:-;R, aftp1 Reeiug and heal'ng her,
WOll ld f in k of 110 Olle b11t ]1e1~plf . for tlwt ('OllRJ>lCUOllS
post.
But the view~ of the Yenel'nble ~lo1he1 were ve1.v differeHt.
Nhe icRte<l he1 ltopes for the 1woi-;perity of' her honse, not
1Man11 se l'pt Mpmoir of l\lother <le 11ly, c h . XXII .

ES'l'ABLISHMEN'l' OF THEJ l\IONAS'l'EUY OF LYONS

455

on human combinations, but on the favoring proteetion

of the Inearnate """ ord, which would be grantecl in the
proportion in which her clanghte1s wou1d respond to His
pnrposes in fonnding His order by their greate1 hnmility ,
cletachment, nnd fen'or. The1efore she rejected the f.mggestions of l\lothe1 Gerin and decided to impose the
office of Snpe1io1ess of the monaste1y upon Sister ~J emme
of Jesns de Bly, and to reenforce her commnnity by hro
of the Sisters who had now corne from Grenoble. Mother
Gerin -vrns not disconcerted, but a.s sumed th~ self-imposed
dnty of instilling into the minds of the Sisters destined
foi Paris, her own views about the course needed fo1 the
prosperity of that monastery, so that they migh t 1nepare
the way for their nltimate execution. 'rl1eRe Siste1s we1e
mis1ed by her representations of her mvn eapaeity and
lost no chance of enlogizing' it. They playecl their /part
so well that 1\fother de Bly, who had accepted the office
reg1etful1y and yet filled it worthily and Rnceessfully,
tinally thonght only of getting herself replaeed by )fothe1
nerin.
\Vhen her term of th1ee yems was neming i ts end,
the Abb de la Piardire had to make a journey to Grenoble
for some of his own family affairs, and she proposed to
him to anti~ipate by some months the time for the election, so that he might bring back wHh him Mother
Gerin, whom she highly praised and on whom Rhe was
certain the votes vrnuld be centered. The Abb, who had
no wishes bnt for the welfare of the monaster~T' made no
difficulty in aeeeing to an arrangement which . was helieved to be so advantageous.
Unfo1tmrntely this was all arranged without 2\lother
de Matel Iuwing been notified. l\fother de Bly informed
her of it only after the election had taken plaee. YVhen
M. de la Piardire, on passing throngh Lyons, related to
the Mother Foundress what- had been done, she said to
him: "niy da ugh te1 de Bly w1ote me only w hen i t was
too late. 'Yhy have they acted with such precipitation in
a maiter that was in no "~ay urgent? l\fy. feeling is that

4oG

LlFE OF .TE.\.X~ E CI-IEZ.\HD DF, .~L\.TEL

thiR "jf othe1 will do uo good at Pnris. 'l1he more I think

of it the les~ inclined I feel to conNent to it. 'rl1e Spirit
1e>lls 111c that if shc gocs to th;1t honNe, Nl1<:- wi11 inin it,
wlie1eH~ )fot1Jp1 of the Holy fiho~t Cheniit who111
I ha<l
asked fm-, wonl<l snstain it by hp1 Yil'tne, gentleueNR, and
simplieit~'
Ri11Ce yon me goi11g to Grenoble, yon wonld
do well to take hcr and leave )lother Gerin bchind." 1
"JI. de la Piardire IJersisted, n~ he thonght the affair
lwd gone too far for a re1rcat nmy to be possible. 'fhe
l\Iothcr Fonudress then . said to him:
"T see thnt yon
me not too well satisfied with this arrangement. God
grant that ~' OU may not soon r egret it.'' 2
'l1hese words alas ! were pl'ophetic. If Our Lord did
uot permit the AhbP de la Pimdil>rc, in spite of bis gat
'reneration for the Fonndress to sh ow de-fe1ence for her
"ishes, it was lJecm1se He tlrnN proposed to open to the
steps of His spouse t lrnt way of CnlYary by which, like
llimself, she wns to go to he1 painfnl and supreme immolation .
Th great ability of 3Iother Ge1iu hnd heen so vannted
aud she expressed such zeal for the ~l(l\raneement of the
honse of Pmis that. her arriva] at filst raised high hopes
in the friends of the monaster.r. H owever, her eondnct
was not Rlow to nppeai strange. Rhe ealled in w01krnen
to mnke changes which she thonght good, and after they
had 1<1 bored for seyc1al days, she made thern throw down
whnt they hml bn ilt and relrnild it. W'1thont anyone know
ing why, ~lie dismi~s(d some yonug women who hfl been
b1ought np in the honse H1H1 had begged to consecrate
themNeln~ s to Oo<l, m1d she re('PYed others whose families
ha<l iefn~ed their consent. Hnt what was most snrprising was to se( that one of her first rncasmes was to senti
back to < j 1e11ohle the two Rii-e1s who hnd procnred lier
elcd io11, to l'epl<l<'e thern hy two ot hp1~ of hPr ow11 choiee.
"jf. <le la Pi;11'(li(\I'(~ fi1ially hnd hil" Pyes ope1wd nnd he
l'Pg1elt0(l J1ot hnYing <1 <'l'<lP<l to 11H wi~hes of thr snintly
..\loth<1. If<' lllHl<' p1<>1>mnt i011N f'01. a jonr11e.'r to Lyons~
11\f:tnus c l'ipt l\1 f moir of 1\ lotlH' 1 d o 11flr. <'11. XXIII.
:dhi<l<>rn .

457

EST~\.BLISH~IE~T OF THE ~IO.XASTEilY OF LYO.XS

to acquaint her \Yth the need her couvent in Paris had

of her presence, bnt he \Yas obliged to depart for Loches~
whither he was en lled by nrntters concerning the welfare
of his ehildren. He conntecl on making only a short stay
there, bnt Gocl hacl clisposed that lie "youlcl there close his
earthly pilgrimage.
On Augnst ~. jnst after he hacl snng ~Iass, and assistecl
a t a solemn pro(ession. a messenger came to tell him
that a Sister of the rrsnline Coiffent of which he was
Supe1ior \Yas ex1Jiring. \nthont allowing himself time to
take a little nomislnnent. although he \Yas exhaustecl with
fatigue. he lrnstenecl to the sfrk Sister, gaYe her great consolation and then "Withdrew Yery tirecl: bnt he had contractecl the pernieious feYer from \Yhich the Sister \Yas
dying. For a while, expert chre seemecl to trimnph . OYer
his malacly: soon, ho"yeYer, all hope Yanishecl. He snccnmbecl a Yictim to the zeal and charity which infiamecl
his heart.
This diYine fire. before consnming this \\Torthy priest's
Iife, Iiacl made it r esplenclent \dth the radiance of his
sanctit~T
His friends had e1ffied one another the happiness of conYersing \Ytl1 him on the lm-e of Gncl \Yith which
he had the secret of inflaming hemts. His pions generosity
was so " Tell known to the poor. that they cro\\Tded around
the doors of the honses which they kne\Y were to be Yisitecl
by the charitable Abb. His se1Tants, " Tho were witnesses
of the \irtnes \\Thich he constantly praeticecl, especially
of his medita tion \d1ich h e prolonged -nn til micluight, and
always endecl \Yith a se,ere disci1Jline, were filled with
Yene1ation for bim . Religions Comnnmities Yied with one
another to obtain him as Snperior or Director. He spent
himself withont measme for all but particnlnrly for the
Order of the Inearnate \rorc1. Re often :-:aid: 'If I
kne\Y that there was at the end of the earth a Sister of
the Incarnate \Yo1d who had neecl of my serdees. I \Yould
not hesitnte to cross the seas to assist her.' ' 1

1~Ianuscript ~lemoir

o f ::\loth e r d e Bl:". ch.

XXI\~.

458

LIFE OF' JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

He had drnnk in frorn the venerable Mother's soul,

throngh which God had initiated him iu the spiritual life,
such love for the \Yord made man that he had formed a
plan to cousecrate himself entirely to His divine service
and to gather togetber a number of priests who would
devote tbemselves to a special imitation and worship of
his Divine l\1odel.

l\1other de ~ratel, his confidante., and perhaps his inspfrer in this purpose, had drafted the plan of the Iustitute which, according to the functions for which it was
destiped, was to reproduce the chief stages of the terrestrial
existence of the 'Vord: His hidden life at Nazareth; His
solitmy life in the desert, and the apostolic life of His
1ast three years.
'Phe beauty of the rule which she co111posed for this
pnrpose, with the nid of the experience of the Domiuican
Fafer Carr, cnm~ed its establishment to be desired, not
only l>y generom; prie:;.;t l~~ souls, but a l~o by most zealous
bishops mICl hy the Holy See itself. However, this precious
seed has not yct frnctified in the field of Holy Church, but
it possesses snch great fecnndity that, on the day designed
by God, it wi11 yield a rnngnificent hnnrest.
'rhe death of )f. de la Pinnli1e, not only l)lace an
obstacle in the way of 1ealizing this great plan and that
whieh he had forrnecl of fonmling a monastery of the Incarnate \Vord at Loches, bnt it also cleliverecl np the monaste1y of Pmis to the arbifrary govermnent of :Mother
Gel'in, who had fonnd a mearn~ of wimiing over to her side
the P1ior of Rai1li -Gennai11 and now Raw no obstacle in
t he w~.Y of h01 sehemes. She lrnd soon contracted debts,
m1d in spifo of i hP rdi<'.<)rne or the ~iRt ers who, not ou1y
lllHfo 110 e01Hplni11 t s i.o a11y 01I<\ lmt al:--;o tl'ied to c011vince
lhemselves th nt ihis . ~fotlt<)l ' WHN doiu; all for the best
intc1psi s of' il1< ~ <0111mmlty, ihl) trne cOJ)(liti011 of lffain;
<' tm c to the knowle<lge of Nottw f1ien<ls u! the m0Hasle1y.
'tih esc, w ith gootl n~<t~on, lwernlt) almrned mHl thought thnt
lh e 011ly iprnp<ly foi the <)vil wonl<l he the lffese11ce of the
Mot lt c1 FomHhw.;~, wlt i<'h t hPy eo11sl<lere<1 it t11eir dnty

ESTABLISHl\1ENT OF THE l\IONASTERY OF LYONS

i:o obtain.

459

Alarmiug: lettel's eame tq her from every quarte1, and finally became so pressing that it "ras impossible
for her to refuse wl1at vrns requested of he1-. Ro"~eve1,
she had heen fo1ming plans which werc qnite different.
After seeing he1 couvent nt Lyons solidl,v strengthening itself unde1 the wise diredion of Reverend l\Iother
Helen of J esus Gibalin, she was taking steps to go to
Homme to found there the fifth honse of her Ortler. 'l"'he
Duchess of Hoannais, who wns governing the city, had
severa l times begge her to corne. As has been a lreacly
mentionecl, ~Iother de ~ratel hacl obtained the Duke's permission for this fonndation. ~"- certain nmnber of persons there had expressecl their clesire to consecrate themselves to God in the new I nstitute. 'l'he cliocesan authorities had appr"red the proposecl fonndntion. And the
worthy :I\fother, who looked npon it as the final completion of her own task, wished to hasten its execution. Her
dear Love lrncl promised her temporal means sufficient to
enable her to found five monasteries, in honor of the five
sanduaries which He opened in His five 'vouncls, for souls
still on their earthl;v pilgrirnage.
She had seen Him keeping His 'vord to her. 'l'lrnnks
to His divine bounty, she had alreacly erected in His honor
four Ranctuaries in which souls predestinecl for them can
specially consecrate themselves to Him. Now her heart
is set upon returning to Him, by this foundation, the
remuants of the means which He has given her and upon
shutting herself up in this new cloister where she will
solemnly receive the habit of the Order and pronounce
the vm,~ s which will make her a religions of the Incarnate
YVord exteriorly. And it is at the moment when she thinks
she is reaching the goal of her clesires, thnt she is so
enrnestly urged to go to the help of her monastery of
Paris. 1'his meant to her an immense sacrifiee. However,
in spite of the pain she felt in clelaying the execntion of
a plau which was so dear to her heart, she conld not hesi-

4GO

Llli'E OF

.JE~\NX~

CHEZAilD DE l\IATEL

F'or the st ke of en~di 11g- a 11ew rn<rn astery, she con Id

to n1in one already fonmled at the cost of
sneh g1eat lnbor.
'T'he1ef01e, .Jlotlie1 de .Jlatel made l1e1 anm1;erne11ts
1'01 the jomuey. She uever nndel"took one withont <loi11g
\'ole11ee to hen~eir, hut he1 iepuguance waR never so great
as 011 the 1neNent occasion. Besides the sacri1ices which
the jomney entailed, Onr T.orrl made her hear in the depth
of he1 heart w01d~ similar to tho~e which He spoke to His
d;ciples when He mrnouneed to them:before His last juurney t o .le1n~nlem, tlwt all whith had been foretold to them
about the 8011 of man was a bont to be accomplished.
He1 adorable Lo,e ha<l wonuded he1 heart so many
time~, ,yith a longing to follow Ilirn even to Calvary and
to gi,re Him sntre1ing for suffe1i11g, life foi life, that
there ha<l 1Jee11 enkindled in her sonl, a bnrning thirst
to be like Him, sntnrated with snfferings and humiliations . .
W'th all he1 hemt, she had J1l'ayed fol' the coming of
the lionr when slw won l<l be baptized "ith this painful
baptism. He1 mde11t cJ"ies bm st forth in thonsnnds of
plates in he1 w1iting~. "O, that I may be wholly transfo1rnell i uto .Jesns Ch1ist <_1u<:itied, that T may be afflicted
in body, in Nonl, in l'epntnti01i. )lay T embrace the example of Yom nfflieted body, rnay I lml'y my sonl in the
Jovh1g afflidions of Yom nfflicted ~oul, may I be the
couRolation of Yom Ntrnl so fol'inred ! )fay I attach myself
to Yom <1os~, 0, my Ki11; ! Jlny 111y love be t1ncified !''
~ow she mHle1stoo<1 thnt he1 hom \Yns at hand, and,
like he1 l >ivi11e ~f0<lel, she fclt nntme Nluinking at its ap
p1oach. ..\N ~d1<> WlS Nayiug- goo<l-bye io her danghter~ of
the holy .\Iom1t, Nhe hnihed thern with he1 kan~ :11Hl ~aid
to i h 0111 : "'l :u 11 ;oi n; i o 111y tmt me !" P1oph ti i c w01ds,
fp rnc:rnin; of whi..11 wn~. <lonhihs~. not- 11rnh 1stood nntil
the fntme l1:Hl n~1ifit<l tlH m to tht let-te1.
To rnl<lPl'Nt;uul wliat l'ollowN, n~ F:dhp1 .JoNeph, the
:rnih01 of n Xotiec 011 t71c Onler of t11e lnrnrnatc \l'onl.
jn<liciomdy l"Pmmk~: ''"re 11111st- l1ot- lmw Ni;ht of tlw frntlt
t11nt ~lotli<>1 <le ~laiel, J1:n: i11g 1He11 rnlle<l ton kin<l of
tnte.

not abm1do11

ESTABLISIDIE~T OF THE MONASTERY OF LYO:N"S

461

ne'Y in tro<l neti on of the I ncarnn te \Y onl 11 to the world,

had to exp1ess. in her own life, llis hnnrnn Rtages and
my:..;te"ies. Tlnm the monastery of Paris eonl<l lrnYe a
clnim to he he1 .Jenurn1em. for it creatcd fm her a new
Cal n1ry. Heca nse i t "ished a }f essins glmi ous in the possession of temvoral wealth, it lost that "ealth ... itself together '"ith the )[essias: after having throngh ignorance
erucified Hn, in the person of her throngh "hom it had
first seen the light.'~
"And W'e ourselYes, with Canon Penaud, one of the
biographers of ~fother de )latel, after haYing accompanied
in spirit the ~aintly ~Iother to her CalYary. must say tbat
we lrnYe no de~fre to hide the truth or to dissemble it by
reticenee. ~\..miel the ingratitude and perseeution of whieh
she wns the Yictim, sometimes deeds may lrnye exceedecl
the in ten tians of the cloers, and some actions may be
plared to the fe~onnt of ignorance, misunderstandings,
natmal defeds of elrnracter and human weakness. We
do not deny this. <iod saw and jndged. But we wonld
consider Olnse]Yes gnilty of an outrage against the Order
of the Tneaniate \Y 01d, if, for fe pnrpose of extenuating
the fanlts of some of it~ members, "'e robbed the Foundress
of the anreola of he1 Passion. The EYangelists did not
haYe recomse to excuses, but related the facts."
The ahoYe prophecy "a~ not romp1ehended in its full
extent even by the Yenerable "Jlother herself. \Yhen she
"'f~ pnssing throngh Homme, and many persons expressed
their disappointment that she could not then fonncl the
monaste1y which was so intensely desii-ed, slie said to
them that she wonld corne back and fonnd it as soon as
))OSSile. But, alas, she was neYer again to see the cit:y
of her bi rth.

UHA P'rER XXV

Mother de Matel's Last Sojourn at Paris

1663
I t was on ~Iay :1, 1 GG:1, under the auspices of the Cross.
of which the Clrnreh was celebrating the . Finding, that
~f otlter de )fotcl set ont for Paiis.
She 'vas accompanied
hy P1i01 Bernanlon, the faithfnl protector of all of her
jomneys, by Siste1 Elizabeth de Saint-Amour, who had
heen b1ought from Paris for the fonndation of Lyons, by
Sisters l~rauces Gravie1 and ~lary Chaud, who had uot
yet 1eceived the habit of the Order, and by a little Sister
of the Child .Jesus, ~laiy Anne du Bt:y, aged nine years,
who was a relath'e of the Foundress.. In spite of ail the
efforts made by the gene1ons .Mother to p1event her companions from feeling any snspil'ion of the auguish which
was torturing her soul during the whole journey, the
change in her feat11res hetrayed he1. She seemed to all
to be a prey to a kind of agony, arnl they were not mistaken. For the nearel' she came to the scene of ber passion, the nearer the angel of Gethsemani bronght to her
lips the chalice whieh she was to drain to the dregs. Indeed the hour has nmv eome 'vhen the Divine Bridegroom,
nfter h:wing ~o long a Nsoeiated the soul of His <lem spouse
with Himself, h1 the gHni eN and delights of His beautified
soul, "'i li make her. a sh :ue1 in the snfferi ug8 and agonies
of His own soul sonowfnl eveu 1111to dcath, and will make
hel' fcel~ one aftcr anothe1, the tortures of His bitter Passimi. And, whe11 by nwans of SOITOWR, he1 transformation in1o Tiims0H shall have bee11 perfecily consnmniate<l,
she will dothe lH1self iu the holy livery, which is a sign
of tlwf.;c NOI'l'OW~ nnd W'hid1 Rhe has given to her danghters,
m1<l Rhe will go to sleep in the kisR of the Lord \Vho, seeing Itc}r tlrns eo11formed to His Incarnate 'Vord~ will be
nhle to f.;H.V of' he1: ''this is indecd my wPll-hcloved Danghter
i 11 wli om l am well please(l .''

)101.'HER DE ::\LATEr/s L~ST SOJOGRX AT P~-\RIS

463

?\Iother de )foteL on reaching Paris, "ent straight to

he1 monasten. All that she kne" of the ials 'vhich
the1e awaited lier and of the need she 'Yonld have of
he1 former friends. cou1d not make her accede to their
solieitation~ to visit them, before shutting herself up in
the cloister. for it "as not from men but from God that
slle hoped for help. She was 1ecefred by the community.
"ith the honors an eerernonies due to Fonndresses. But
the rejoicings o-ver her return 'Yere of short duration.
The rond covered 'dth weeds and thorns 0Ye1 "hich
she 'Yas nO\Y to wa1k. "as soon laid open to her view.
~H the outset. she "a:-~ sorel.v pained at seeing that the
Snperioress, insteacl of offering to I'rior Bernardon one
of the on(le ap~wtments which she had p1eparecl at
her o"n expense for the chaplain, obliged him to go else"here to seek for lodging:;.;. )~.Jterwartls Rhe noticed, "ith
painfnl astonishment. that. with the exception uf the Sisters "hom she had bl'onght from L~ ons, none claied to
corne near he1-. 1 t "ns on 1y three dnys after her anivaJ.
tlrnt "Jiothe1 Ucrin begm1 the contest openly.
This )J other has already ghen us an iclea of lier characte1. W"" e. have seen h er ennmorecl " i th her own plans
for the ])l'OSpel'ty of the monastery in -the capital, and
seeking to substitute lierse1f f_pr her "hom the "Jiother
Fonndress requested for its government. And after the
failnre of her first attempt. \Ye have seen her pur~rning
he1 sehemes indirectly throngh the meddling of the two
Siste1s whose departnre foi Pmis she had procnred. :Xm,
\Ye ~hall "itness the actiYity, tenac.:ity, and intl'i.gnes "hieh
)fother Ge1in uses as means to gain he1 ends.
The heait of the ieade1 i~ fi11ed "jth indip;nntion " hile
1eadil1g the reeital of nll she made "JiothPr de )fate1 snifer.
~\1Hl. yet, .\fother de B01.Y, " ho reeonnts in (leini1 the
things of which ~he was a ~01 1myfnl wih1ess, affirms, se,Pral time~. that thi~ ~fother wa~ a gnod religions. \Yhat
i~ the ex1Jlanntion of this stl-ange eontrnclidion '?
\Ye
ha rn alreacly had occasion to point it ont. She was blindly
'"edded to lier O\n1 j ndgrnent and desires. Sile 'dshed

4GJ

LlFE OF JE.\NNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

what was good. bnt in her natural presumptuousness;

in order to know what was good, she sought inspirations
mo1e from lier owll spfrit tlrnn from the Spirit of God.
"'heu she had once fixed npon a plan, she pursued it~
execntion with an mtfnlness nnd constancy which knew
no obstacle. 'rl1ence it mose tlrnt, after she hacl reasoned
he1self into the eonvidion that the glory of God and the
welf are of the comnrnni ty depended on the realiza tio11
of her pet projeds. she wns able to persuade others, and
closed her own eyes fo eYe1y eonside1ation opposed to
the carrying out of her plans.
The ffrst of these vinns "~as to procure for the bouse
an increase in its iesomces provo1tionate to her O\Yn
vie\YS iegmding its inosperity, and for this she counted
on Mother de Mntel. But, instead of humbly soliciting
from her rnothel'ly goodness whnt she helieved to be necessnry, she p1epared to exact it from her by force. In the
mmks of lrnmility and simplicity which ":\fother de ~Iatel
impl'inted upon her w01k~, ::\Iother Gerin could see only
a Jack of magnanimity and generosity, only love for temporal posse~sions. Rhe said to herself that it wonld be
di ftic11 lt to get the -:\Iother to do what she herse If desil'ed.
She instilled those prejndice~ ngninst the 1~,,omHlress into
the rnincls of the P1ior of Saint-Germain and of other
persons of nmk who were f1iends of the monastery. 'rl1ey
hacl little kuowledge of the Fo1111dreRR, helieved the projects
of the Superioress to be advnnfageons to the conveut. nnd
fel'efo1e promised to Recofl he1 effoi-ts by eve1y rneans
in thei1 power~ miel, il1 fad, they did nid her u11c011~cionsly in 1ep1odueing: in the Yene1able ~lother all tlte
featmes of the ~fm1 of Ronow~.
Tl 1e1e f'me t111ee <l ay~ nftp1 t hl~ a ni va 1 of l\Iother <lP
Mate] :11 Pmi~, .\lo11te1 CN1 ('mile 1o Jtp1 io talk nt length
nn<l wi111 11111(']1 Pxagg;e1ntio11. :llH>n1- tlw finmH'inl <lil'tienltie~ of 1hP hou~e.
~lw l'OJH'1l1<1Pd hy <lel'.lmi11g tltat the
P1i01 fo1111d to hP irnml'li<'ie11t the ipve1111P~ awnrded to
lite JllOll:l~te1y hy 1lte ('01111:1('1 ol' f'om1daii011, Hll(l if sbe
i<l 1101 l'eli11<p1i~h lte1 ligltt 1o 11omi11atc six religion~

~IOTHER DE ::i.u.TEr/s L\ST SOJOGR~ _\T p_\RlS

-63

for the foumlation. tlte dissolution of the monastery " vas

decided npon. She had the audacity tn add: "Think of
it ! If this dissolution takes place) yon will answer for
it before Gocl." ~Iother de Bly wl'tes: HmYeYer the
P1"ior had thonght of tlds only becan:-:e it had been ~mg
geste by her as a means to su Pl>Ort her scheme. " 1
The Yenei-alJ1e ~Iother felt ber heait dfrided bet,Yeen
amazement and sadne~s as sbe heanl these charges in
'Yhich the1e was so little reason and :-:o mneh ingratitude... ace01ding to the ju<licious 1emark of ~Iother de
Bl~y
Dut he1 perspicacity saw tluough the plot. So
far all the Su perims. 'Yi th whom ~fotller de -::\la tel had
had business affairs conce1ning fonndations. had shown
that tbey '"ere satisfiell " yith he1 manner of transacting
business. ~ ow. this Superior. who clid not knmY her, was
dissatisfied " -h her 'n1ys. She ~a w clearly tha t the only
cause of the Prior's cli~satisfaction was that -::\Iother Gerin
had poisoned h is min cl. ~ \t a glance she took in the whole
extent of the struggles and trials which this prejudice
of the Pri01 would co ~t he1. and ~he bo,Ye dmYn her
heart before the Dfrine -:Jfajest.'- offering he1self ane'Y to
suffer anytliing He 11leased in be1 body. in her soul. and
in lier reputation. ~-\.ccordingly she ieplied to -::\Iothe1
Uerin: "-::\ly danghter. up tQ this time all Superio1s baye
sho"-n that they were satisfied " -ith me and 'Yith my
"-a.'YS of doing business. I shall wnit for him of 'Yhom
:ou speak. I slrnll hem what he hns to ~ay to me~ ancl
I shall tn? to satisf~ him in e\erything that will be jnst
and ieasonable. -::\Iy plan has alway~ been to . fnnw thb
c:onYent alJoye all the others which I haYe founded with
the help of God. But I ca nnot make to this cmffent.
donations which would iweYent me from fonnding the
cornent of Homme, or intel"feTe "ith m.Y obligations tn
th e conYent of L.Yons. It is m~ intl. ntion to amil.Y a11
111~y iemain i ng r eson rces ex cl n~i n~ 1.Y lo the ad Ya nceme11 t
of this CJrder of which the DiYine Goudne~s has made me
the 1Iother." 1
0

1=.\Ianu scrip t
~ Ibi de m .

~l emu ir

of ::i.r other cle Bly, Part II. ch. L

4GG

LIFE OF' JEANNE CHEZ.\RD DE l\IATEL

1

rhese wordR, whfrh manifeRted with sincerity the

worthy 2\[other's good intentionN towmds her couvent of
Paris, shonlcl have macle l\Iother Gerin enter into herself.
bnt they di<l not haye this effect. She persuaded herself
that it was mYing to Rc1fishness that the Mother Fonndress
did not RUI'l'ender. nnconditionally, to her demands, and
that the glory of God and the '""elfare of the house re(1nired that this tonseut sl1onld 'bei obtained either (by
persuasion 01 by force. She makes the conmrnnity enter
into these viewR. She again a~snres herself of the support of the Prim of Saint-Germain. She calls in President of Cognenx. the C'onntess of Brienne, .~fr. Poucet, a
Councilor of State. a .J esuit, his brother, and a Premonsti-atensian I~"'\~lther. all of whom are devotcd to the Ronse.
She tells thcm all. that she lHlR made a final petition to
the Fonnclrcss to. obtain an intrenRe of the revenues of
the mor~astery , but that she had fonnd her so attached to
her posRe~-Rions that shc conlcl not be indncetl hy persuasion
or by fpar of God's jndg11w1ltR. to Rnnender to he1 pro
posals. AR she ~ays, she now begR the co-operaticm of theil'
devoted effol'tR 1o obtain <t p1ompt nrnl advanta~eons settleme11t of thiR impmtmit nifoir. f01. H the Fonmlress happens to die .a ~Pcnlnr, her posse~sious will be 1ost to the
House, becam~e her ielntiYes wiJI not fail to tnke them.
'l'hese ieasons u ppcaied deeiRi Ye. ....\.11 weie eqna 11.r ediftcd by the zeal of ~fothcr Gerin arnl amazed at the dispositions of :\Iothe1 de :Jlatel. Fathe1 Polltct had kn wn
hel' befo1e ]i]s departme fo1 fp f ndies, WhPllte he Jwd
1etnrnecl afkr liaving spent twenty yemN fere and snffel'ed mnch f'o1 the foith , and he was rn01c N1ll']ll'iRe<1 m1d
St<l(lene<l ilt:111 the ot]1p1N nt ]pa111iI1g ilwt ~li<> lta<l fallcn
from fe pp1fp('1 ion whieh liP ltn<l fo1mcl'ly :ulmi1<)d in
11< 1. Fi11tlly it Wl~ de :l<><l 11wt nll ~honld ad ll <on ('CJt ll :1ppc:lli11: 1o 11H J>1io1 Io ;ivP th(' Nll})]>OI't or hiN
:rn 11tol'i1y 1o tlw <'.l;ii111N of' tlw Rnp<rio1pss.
011 the <ll,Y tgn<d npon~ iJ1e~c 1'1ie]l(ls of' the rnonaNte1y
111<.'I in tli<' . . \hb<'y of' Rai1it--nerrnai11. Dom lgnatinN PltiliIH1L wlto \\'i l~ full or nffedion fol' 1ltc eshtblisl1me11'3
~

l\IOrrHER DE l\IA'l'.IDL'S LAST SOJOURN AT PAIUS

467

plaeed nucle1 ltis jmisdiction, was enchanted at seeing perf.;Ons of ~nch nwri t take snch interest in the welfare of his
co11vent of the I ucnrnate \Yord.
\Yith the prejnclices 'with which he hacl had already
been imbued, he heaitily actepted their counsels, the chief
of which \Yas, at ail costs to keep at the head of the
communit.r ~lother Gerin whose tenu of three years was
about to expire: she \vas so zealous and capable. l\Ioreoyer, 'yas it proper for i\f othei de Matel who was not a
ieligious, to govern religious? r_n1e Prior agreed to all
that was suggested to him. The ne,Ys of the success of
this mission was immediately carried to the Superioress
a_nd raised her hopes high.
'Vhile these measn1es were being thus pushed, the
saintly ~lother was inaying and anuihilating he1self be. fore God to obtain the lrnowledge of His good pleasnre
with regmd to \Yhat those parties wished to exact from
ber. She decided to send the venerable :~\I. Bernardon,
her confessor, to lH'esent her homage to the Pl'ior of SaintGermain and to beg the honor of a visi t from him. Dom
Ignatius Philibert carne without delay. He had never
~een ~fother de Matel and had no knowledge of her merits,
ex ce pt from th ose who \Yere deploring her f all from her
former sanetity. But, when he fonnd himself in the presence of this venerable woman, whose natural nobility was
enhanced by the n10clesty and dignity which were imprinted upon her \vhole personality by the profound sense
of the presenre of God with which she was penetrated, he
was filled with respect. As she proceeds in expressing with
her ordinary frankness and prudence, what she thinks
about the ueeds of the monastery and what she counts
npon doing to meet its '"'ants, he is consoled by discovering that the principles of her conclnct are not the narrow
calcnlations which are attribnted to her, but the enlightened and impartial solieitudes of the common Mother who
thinks of the interests of all her children, and that acconnt must be taken of her observations. 'rherefore he
apprm'"es of all he1 proposals, and begs ber only to de-

468

LIFE OF' JE.ANSE CHliJZARD DE

~IATEL

l'lm e lier goo i11tentiorn" hy a publie net of whieh she

will send hirn the rni1rnte:--; W'.'i soon as shc hns formnla <l
it.
ieti1e~ e<lified arnl ple:u.:ed, :llthong-h Oll Olle poi11t
t 11efr opillio11s diffe1e<l. ~foiher de )fatcl jndgcd it best
to iclieYe the mom1skr.r of a lmnle11 hy sending the Snpe1i01ess and he1 two l'Ompnnions lrnl'k to the honse of
thefr p1ofe~sio11 a t ihe ex]Jl'a tiou of her three years of
offke. Bnt the P1ior .thonght it best to kcep her at the
lwa of the comrent of Paiis.
J[other de :\la tel wns quiek in fnlfilling the promise
whicll she ha made, aud, ns soon ns the draft of the
contrnct had heen completed, she sent it to Dom Ignatius
Philibe1-t hy her faithful messe11ge1, ~U. Hernardon. ~rhe
Prior was vleased at the 1nompt11ess and generosity evidenced by this act by which she assured to the monnstery
t wo thonsand livres of inC'orne nnd the ow11e1ship of all
t he immovable p1operty which she had acquire at Paris.
He asked that the (locnmeut be Jeft with him, to be exnmiued at his leisure~ and that the )fother would send him
an i hc title dees of the hon~e, 1nomising to retnrn them
prornptly nfter he ha looked over them. )fother de ~Intel
:1gnin snbrnitted. Bnlls, lette1~ pntent of the King. confrnds of fonrnlntion, neqnisi tion, etc., wen~ entrnsted to
~I. Berunrdon to be cnnied to the Abbey.
Mother Ge1in, who hnd foll(nYed :dl this with attentive eyes, qnickly saw tlrnt the P1ior's di~p ositiorn; townrds
the Fonnchess l1n(l ehange<l, nrnl femi11g thnt he, like his
p1edeeesso1s, would ernl hy t111Hi11g nll the bnsiness of
the rnmwstery OY('l' to he1, again stine<l np the zeal of
he1 friends to 1neve1it an ontcome thnt wonld inin all
he1 plans.
Dom J>hilibeit had iwt pellefrnted ihe epths of the
soul of l\I other <le l\fntel. Ho hnd sec11 ollly n iefleetiou
of hel' snuctity. IIe does Hot lrnow that if she do~s not
wem the Jinhit of he1 1'<k1 ontwar<lly, this is the fo1mnl
'dll of hci Divine SponsP, 'YllO makes up fo1 this ontWtll'<l <h0ss hy <'loihillg hc1 Jlimself all(l make~ h01 mo1e of
~l l'Pligiou~ ili:lll HllY or hPl' <la11:1Jtp1~ will <1\T(l]' br. T'herc1

Ile

:\IOTHER DE :\IATELJS LAST SO.JOURX AT PARIS

4G9

fo1e those friends of :Jiothe1 Ge1in again sessed l>efoie

him the exte1iorly secnlar state of the Fonndress. and
the ability of the local Snpe1ioress, and made him ielin(}ll i:-:h his ine,Tions Jiue of eondnd.
He eYPH :--;ent to
Jlother Gerju the <haft of the e<mti-act and all the other
deecls 'd1ith he had on 1y recefred from :Jlother de J_Iatel.
hy positively binding himself to ietnrn them to her. This
snitecl the purpose of the Superioress. As soon as she has
seen these documents, she calls in the Councilor Poncet
to help her to make another draft of the act of donation,
because the one that she has in her hands, cloes not ans"Ter
he1 Yiews. The "Jfother Foundress does not renonnce her
iight to nominate six Sisters. According to all appemances, she wishes, by this means, to be able to giYe the
habit to some of her first claughters who ha-'fe not made
their profession, and 'd10 are nmv old and without resonrces, as she had clone at Lyons in the case of :Jiother
Catherine Fleurin. Ras she not the sa me purpose now
in bringing to raJ"S the Yene1able Sister :Jny Chaud'?
"Jiother Gerin cloes not like this clause ancl annuls it.
On this matter, :Jiother de Bly exclaims: 'Oh God, what
injustice, what barefaced ingratitude! \Yhen she is inereasing our revenues by new benefactions to which she is
not obliged, instead of giYing her greater marks of our
gratitude, at that Yery moment they try to tear away
from her a iight "Thich she had legitimately acquired b;'f
the eontract of fonndation, and "Thich the Superiors had
al lowed her withont any difficulty, out of the deference
the.Y ha for all her requests. '' 1
~l'his is not all.
The Sn1Je1ioress wishes it to be stipulated in this clocnment that it i~ to rclicve her conscience
that :Jf other de :Jfatel makes a gift to "the conYent of Paris
of the houf.;e~. gardens, and other properties in question.
in order that, as the 8upe1iore~s :--;ays, the famil,Y of the
Foundress may neyer be able to daim them.
This article 'Yas essentially fah~e and injuJ"ions. How
conld ~fother Gerin haYe ever hoped to nrnke the Fonndre~~
i::\fanuscript l\Iemoir of

~rother

de Bly. Part II. c h. II.

470

I1lFE OF JEANNE CI-IEZAUD DE MATEL

whose truthfulness was beyond question, make thi~ admission? l\lotlier Gerin will not trouble heiself al>out
it, 01, at least, she will not see in it an insurmomitable
obstade. She "\vill look on the mensure as necessmy, shc
will adopt it, and nothing will be able to stop her from
pursuing it. 'rhe saintly ~Iother will refuse, will JHOtest, ut she will be constrained. God will show her what
evils this injustice will cause to fall on this Ronse. She
'Yill warn them, but it wi11 he in Yain. No account will
l>e taken of he1 words. But, as she will predict, Divine
.T nstice will take terril> le vengeance, and such vengeance
that those who have blinded themselves the most, will l>e
forced to say: "The finger of God is here !"
A new contract is drafted in accord with the fancies
of Mother Gerin, and is sent to the P1ior of Saint-Germain
to w hom they amplify wi th em phasis the pretended advan tages .of this last draft, so as to indu ce him to approve
it in the :first instance, and secondly to take it on himself
to make the don or accept and sign i t. In this they sncceeded, although this commission was not without its <lifficulties for him. On the one hand, the \Yisdom and high
Yirtue which he has recognized in the venerable l\lother.
make him understand that consideration is due to bel\
and yet on the other hand the friends of l\fother Gerin han~
inftuenced him so strongl.r in favor of her that he has promised to second her effol'ts.
Such were the confcting emotions which swayed Dom
Philibert when he again came to speak to l\fother de Matel.
He eommenee<l by saying that she wonld do well to take
n mneh needed iest and leave the govcrnment of the monaste1y eniI'ely to the C'lre of 1\fother Gerin, who is _a person of intelligence !md zeal; but, as it is timely for her
to rnakc mi au fell tit ennmcra tion of the properties which
~hc wishes 1o <101ia te t o hel' dangh te1s, he has corne to
~rnhrnit io he1 ~orne modificnti011s which he thinks should
he 111ade in i he chal't wh ich she had sent him. He draws
f1om hif.i f-ilePve the doe11111cllt whkh has l>ecn sent him
hy -:\lothc1 Gerin m1d rea<h5 it to her. The l\fother Fmm<l-

~lOTHElt DE l\IATEL"S L~\_ST SOJOURX AT PARIS

4 71

iess }jstens with patience. \Yhen he has finished, she

says to him: Jiy Father, there are in that document
some articles which are false and which I cannot and must
not let pass. I am ready to sign the paper which I sent
you. But it is impossible for me to sign this paper by
whkh they wish to rep1esent me as a pe1son who has
the property of another. This is not only unju.st to myself
but also injmjons to the whole Orcler. As far as I know~
no one has eve1 aceused me of such a thing, and never
will any one conyict me of it.m
'The P1ior felt that she ''Tas iight. However his hemt
wns set on fulfilling the mission he had undertaken, and
he made eye1y kind of effort to overcome her ... oppositjon,
lmt without. snccess. The worthy Jiother coulcl not be
shakel) frorn her determinatjon that justice and trnth
shoulcl not be ontragecl by this document. Dom Philibert
finally gave up a11 ho1Je of winning her over fo his views
and retired to inform the Su11erioress of his faDnre. The
latter begged hirn to deign to wait until she hacl tried
anothe1 expedient, and she ran to make a new attack upon
the goocl ~Iother. She made use of caresses, flatteries, supplications, rensonings, but these \Vere of no use, and she
came back to sny to the Prim that the Foundress is not
entirely dec1ed. that they must not give up all hope, and
that with a little time and some nmY efforts, they will
iumph OYer her repugnances.
1- he final struggle had begun. From that moment the
situatjon of the venerable Jiother was similar . to that of
a citaclel whieh was to be captured by assault. \Yhile
they were making repeatecl nttacks and tr~Ting to tmn
hea vcn and eaith against lier. they isolatecl her from all
that they belie,Ted helpfnl to sustain lier, and snrrouncled
her with nll that they ton~idered eapable of weakening
her resolution. 'rhe 8npel'io1ess. who wns chafing under
the defeat which she had suffe1ecl, made an urgent nppenl
to all who shared he1 mn1 yjews, ai_l.d begged them to
1

Jl\Ianuscript 1\Ie moir of l\'.Iother de Rly, Part II, ch . IIL

4 ,..9

LIF'E OF

JE.\.X~E

CHEZAilD DE l\IATEL

eorne one nftel' the other to si rnggle against the l'esistance

of the Fonndress, while on he1 side she would combat it
withont eeasing.
'rhe challenge was acl'epted and each one flatteied himself tlwt he "onld be the one to succeed. Some aITogated
io themselYes tl1e mission of preaching detnchment to her.
Othe1s ie<l to eomi11ee hel' that the P1io1 wonld snppress
the m01rn:--;te1y if she di(l not snnender to his desires.
Othe1s agnin ied to win he1 o,el'- by flnttery, and this
kind of a ttnd~ \Yns the most pn infn l to her soul which
was so strnightforwmd. But none were able to obtain
from he1 an.' answe1 exeept thnt whid1 she had made to
the Pl'i01-, namely, that she was ready to do for her daughte1s all the good in he1 powe1, bnt that she. would never
si gn a dolm11e11 t eon tcdn i ng fa lschoods.
'Yhile the pool' )Jothe1 "as m1dergoing these assaults,
the Rnpe1iol'ei-;s took ca1e to nhsent herself under the pretext of heing cn1lecl awny hy hnf-liness, hnt she commanded
the pmfre~s not to pel'mit nnyone who conld interrupt
t hef-le disen~sion~ to ente1 the val'lol'.
\Yhen any of the
friends of )fothe1 de )fntel nsked to ,speak to her, they
\Yere told that it wn:--; impossible to see he1, or if. their
rm1k did not nllow to tnrn thern mYny the Superiores~
went with hel' to the pal'lol', nud remaiued the1e to the
end, heean~e, a~ she sai(1, her ~olicitnde mfle it imperative that ~lie shonld l>e nem the )fother Founche~s, so
that she "onl(l he nhle to l'ende1 her a]] the senrices ~he
111ip;ht need.
'l'he velltiiahle .:\lothe1 wns far frmn heillg tlw (lllpt' of
i h f-\ OURCC]lll01181leR~ fl-0111 \Yhfrh she snffe1ed extrernely. .
Bnt ]Ip1 imiaiP Jip1oi~111 ::n'l' hrr sfre11gth to <onfrol hers<>l f ~ RllP l'PlllHlW(l sih11i :llHl <lR~ClliPd to the })l'JllHl'Y
<:rnsp ol' thl'Re tli;1ls, hy <1<l01i11; i11h1iorly Ood's e111cifyi11g dP~igns ll]H>ll l1e1-. "()lJJ' wod.l1y .:\[oihp1 smY th1011gh
:dl lhes<' 111m1o('ll\'Pl'~." w1ite~ )lotlie1 (lP- H(ly~ "mHl snfl'Pl'('<l :tll lhe 11101'(' p<Ill lR she ('OllS(lel'e<l thP111 ('Oll'<ll',Y
Io 1l1<ll silllpli('ity wlii<"h Wts lie1 own d1nrade1istic yiJtne,
; 1(. (. ()) '(] i Il~
j () j l H' j ll( l g 111 e Il t () r a 11 wl 10 lm e"' lt el'. . '1' Ile y

~IOTHEU DE l\lATELJS LAST SOJOUU:N AT PAnIS

473

knew that she could not_ stoop to any memmess, or use

any C()Uivocation, because, as she said, God is simple, and
dupicity and clis~imnlaticm me conmy to Him. She
knew that the intentio11:-; of the ~upe1 i01ef.:s we1e the opposite of what :-;he exp1es:--;ed, lrnt ont of he1 mYn g1eat
vil'tue and goodness, she did not show l10w disagreeable
to her was that way of acting~ and "hi1e the Superiore:--;s
was talking i lrns, the 3Iother " as adoring God in the hmd
roacl He "as asking her to trend.''
.Among the pe1son:-; whom 31othe1 Gerin had induced
to help her, there wn:-; a iel ig;ions who was a man of intelligence and so iesonrcefnl and eloquent that "he was
capable of persuading all actonling as he desired,., \\Ti tes
Jfother de Bly. The Sn11erioress ca lled him in, and told
him that he must take it on himself to end this affair
. in which no one had been able to succeed. She gives him
all the necessary infonuation, and he accepts the task.
He is introdnced to the Yenera ble ~lother and first speaks
of certain persons among her acquaintances, of some pointsof spiritna1ity, and g1adually leads the conversation to
the temp01al affairs of the monastery and to the famous
eontraet. Then with all the resources of his eloquence,
he exi)oses to ber the 1easons which so many others had
nnsuccessfully addu('ed to ]Jersnade her to sign the contract without delay. Rut she cannot be shaken and says:
"Not I, but those \Yho are un\Yilling to correct the articles which I cannot accept, are the canse of the affair
not being settled. n
He spend~ t\YO homs in trying to break d\Yn her op
position, and finalJy sees himself fo1ced to ietire. He
repmts to the Su11eriores8 tha t the business has aclvaneed
no further than it \Yas the fst dny, and that no one should
hope to obtain .the consent of the Foundress to the eontract. Mother Ge1in replies: "Fnther, there ean be no
question of lying down to sleep 01 refreating afte1 all
the exertions which luwc been made. Y ou nrnst bring this
business to a close by one wa.r or another. Haye the good1:\Ianuscript Mernoir of Mother de Bly, Part II. ch. Y.

474

LU'E OI'' .JEANXUJ CHEZ.A. HD DE

~IATEL

ne:ss to sveak to our Mother Fonndress a second time. If

she is still obstinate, say notlng more about the conact,
but inopose to hcr, as from yomself, to givc you a vape1
:--1ig11ed 1winltely, hy whieh she gives ns the houses and
garde n~ and two thons:rnd livres of income in 01der to
show to the Snpc1ioress her . good "Till towarcls her monaster y of Paris.m
This fact alone shows l\Iother Ge1in in her tl'ue colors.
Neither the impossibility recognized, nor the resistance
Pxperienced lJy all whom she emp1oys, are reasons for he1
to yie1d, any more thau the reproaehes and remonstrances
of the saintly ~Iother. Diffkulties on1y increased her ob:--;tinacy. ' Hetreat is out of question; by one. means or
hy another, she must get \\'hat she wants,'' 2 and all must
bend before he1 own inflexible will. ~l"his priest is like
1he others in bowing clown before her, promises to corne
back, a nd exho1ts her to have the commlmity, in the meanw11ile, redouble their })l'ayers.
In faet, a fe"T days afterward~, ths religions came to
speak to the l\f other Fonndress. 'rhis time, the motiYe
of his visit not heing doubtfnl, the preamble was not long.
~\s ~Iother de Bly says:
" For three hours he exerte
n11 his eloquence to pe1suade her to sign the eon tract which
had been prcsented by the Prior. He ftattrrs ber, tries
to piqne her on _her genero~Hy, and to arouse conscientious
scrnples. He say~: '''The honor of God, your own honor,
i he consolation of yonr <langhters, the edification of all
the persons inte1ested in your monastery, oblige yon to
h tke tllis step. Foi all me ast01iished, and even scandalized, at seeing yom diflicn1ty in making np yonr mind
1-0 do this, because they belieYe it cornes from yonr inmdinate attachment to the goods of earth." 3
The venc1able ~Ioth e r ieplies with great dignity:
'' I?ather~ all the reftsons whieh yon give are not strong
Pnongh to c01wii1fr me that T onght to sign a docmnent
whirh c011taim;; falsehoods. 'rhc more I thi11k of it, the
1 Mnnuscript l\frmoir of
:! l bi<km .
~:I

hid e m.

l\TotlH~ r 0

D l y , Pa.r t II , c h. V.

l\IOTHER DE l\IATEL'S LAST SOJOURN AT PARIS

475

less I avprove of it. \Yhen I consider the matter before

God, l see that, as I never have had in my hands the
propel'ty of others, I am not bonnd to restitution. I have
neve1 tonched the dowries of m.r danghte1s, and they
know that since I established them, I have given them
lodging, fmnitnre and food, and lw.ve snpported tbem in
health and in sickness, in peace nnd in 'yar, 'vhether I
'vas 1ne~ent or absent. I received for them only t'vo
thonsand livres from the Chancellor, and this snm was
spent in building the clrnnh and I have gfren them an
account of it.
''I am not sony foi having done them good, but} on
the conary, I am most willing to do more for them. I
sny these things only to show you that as I have nothing
that helongs to them or to any one else, my conscience
is not burdened with the property of others, and conseqnently I cannot be obliged to any restitution~ and that
the aiticle in the contract which says that T cede things
to my daughters to rclfove my S'OJl.\(cirncr. is an injul'ons
ierm which I cannot aclopt, becanse it ""onld be prejndicial
to the ieligious of the monastery, who conlcl be afterwards
ieproached with having been founded by funcls which had
been ill-gotten. 1."'his reason alone ought to make you
admit that I would do wrong in making this contract in
the terms in which it has been presented to me. \Vhen
it as been corrected, I shall take pleasure in signing it.'~
YVhat has been prese1ved to ns from this interview
by l\fotlter de Bly, whom the Snperioress had . posted as
a sentine! at the door of the pnrlor, give~ some idea
of the multiplied assanlts which the distressed :Mother
then had to snstnl. [f she had uot been forced to struggle agai11st the hlindness of ob~tinaey, lier sincel'ity and
np1ight11e~s of intenti011, tho~e arms of light which \Yere
the ouly 011es whieh shc n~ed, ~ho11ld have secmed vietory
foi her side. \Ve now n~k ourselyes how it was possible
to resi~t sueh meelrnes~ and loyalty "? 'l'he only answe1
1

11\ianusc ript Memoir of Mother de Bly, Part II, ch. Y.


47

is that the hour had come for her to e vanqui~hed like

he1 Divine King whose defent and death we1e the most
glo1ious of hiu mphs.
'rl1ree hours had nmY been spent in these parleys.
~fother Ge1ill, becoming impatient to know their result.
suddenly entered the parlo1. As at ber arrival the religions p1epmes to leaYe, , she conjures him to stay some
moments longer, beenuse, as she says, ""The l\Iother Foundress esteeming him as she does, would not like to see
him go away dissatisfied with her." She is resolved to
cany the position by force and engages in a new attack.
She approaehes the saiutly l\Iother, embraces her, ftatte1s
her, and throws herself at her lmees to beseech her to do
wlrnt is desirecl of her. 'rhe religious remains preseut at
this scene, and also kneels down on both lrnees, renews
his eainest requests, and begins the recitation of the r eu i

Sauctc Spiritus.
At the same time, the humble ~Iother, who is trou bled
m1d distressed hy this procerlure, kneels and prays with
them, bnt eonti1111es imm(ffab1e in her refn~n l. 'rhen the
Snperi01ess asks her to be willing at least to write on a
pic(e of pnJJe1 four fingeis in breadth, her promise to
gfre to the m01wste1y the funcls with which ~he iuteud:--;
to endow it. 1fother de ~ratel 1eplies: ~Iy dnughte1,
this measme is nseless mld l have n repugnanee to taking
i t, l won l<l :-;ee111 to be aeting unclel'liand. I hnYe neve1
l'o11owed thnt 111etltocl in the business of rny 111onastc1ie~.
)fy iTnn:-;adi011~ luffe alwny~ been made iu thl} n~quil'ed
fo1rns, ~rn<l in the presellce of the Snperio1s." 1
Hnt ihi:--; (011ld Hot <lPter ~fotlter Ge1i11. ~ltc :-;ti11 in :--; iNh.;, <nt<l the HiNiPI'S wlto me 011 gnm'<l Hi- ihP p11t1rn~e
of 1.11e p11l01, )tpm (Jip l\loiltP1 F01111<hPN:--; :-;<l." to Jtp1: "'"ly
dH11glitP1, wlty do yon 11:--;<~ vioh11~e ioW<ll'<lN rne'!
I>o 1
11ot ]mow what ! .hfl\'e to <lo'! '\7hy <lo you 111i:--;t1ust yonr
~Jotlt e 1"?
lla\'e 1 (ve1 failP<l to kePp 111y w01d whe11 I
1;.\lan11 sc.: 1ipl M e moir of l\lotl1 e r d e

H l~ .

Pal't

11 ,

<'Il.\',

:JIOTHER DE :Jl.TEL' S LA.ST SOJOL:-RX A.T P ..RIS

477

had gfren it Yerball~-? Hm--e I not a greater interest than

an.' one ehe in the "e]fare of the_ lllonaster.' ?" 1
This struggle of four hoHrs had e:s:hau~ted the strength
of the sorel~--triec1 :Jiother. She fe1t her~elf fainting. and
"-ishecl to change her po:-:ition. lmt :Jiother Gerin ,,-as kneeling on he1 dress. soliciting:. urging. pra.'ing \\-ith her arrns
in the forlll of a cross. and pretencling not to hear when
.Jiother de :Jiatel beggecl to be perlllittecl to rise. The
Father had written on a small piece of paJJer: .. I promise
Gocl to giYe to lll.' daughters of Paris the real estate which
the.' occup~- and n,-o thousand lines of income. " 2 After
doing this the> saicl to her. this paper will rernain in
,'Oln possession and "--ill be preserYed only until :ou haye
decided to make a more authentic contract.
She was
broken-hearted with rn1Tm,- and " as succumbing to fatigue.
This note indeed passed OYer in silence her rights as Founcl. ress. but it did not Yiolate truth. She signecl it.
The Father and the Snperioress then arose a:-: if tb.ey
had gained a signa] ,-ictory. The religions ~aid "--ith
emphasis: .. ~o"- :Jlotber. \Ye can \York better than eYer.
for the ach--ancelllent of yonr monaster,'. a:-: \'e know it
is so well founde... :Jiother de Bl: remarks with a
groan: "Indeed all that "a:-3 possible fo1 this had been
done. but alas '. how true is the sa,'ing of the Ro.'al Prophet.
that a house is built in ,ain. if the hand of the Lord cloes
not builc1 it. Ho"-- nrnny cares and pains hrn-e \Ye not. one
after another of us. taken to prese1Te and aggrandize that
unfortunate monastery. "-ithout any success '. 0 rny God.
ho"- just Y ou are ~md ho"- profound are Your jndgmen ts.-" 3
They had tolcl ~Iother r1e :Jiatel that the note ,,-hich
~he hacl signed woulcl e\er relllain in hee own hands. but
the Fathe1 beggec1 her to let him haYe it for some da:-s.
so t1w t lie eonld :'lien,- i t tn the frie11c1:' of the Orde1 nnd
tlrns pru,~e to them th e ~incel'iTy of he1 good intention:'
t< nnu<b the mo11a:--;ter,,- of Pal"i:--;. In fact. -:'he neYe1 :--:n w
i ::\ Ia n u s cript ::\Iemo i r of :Jiother de Bl y. P art II. ch. Y .
:!I b id e m .
H b id em.

478

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAlW DE l\IATEL

again either the note or the religions, in spite of all hcr

p1otests. 1
As for the Snperioress, she was elated with her snceess
rmd went in haste to anuounce it to the community. She
hunied to announce it to all whom she had interested in
the affnir, and when they came to the conYent to congratulnte lier, she did not omit to bring ont the adroitnes~ which
she had used to biing about this result. She coriclnded:
''See to what we are reduced by the present condition of
our Fonndress. Her mind has become weak and she is
no longer what she was formerly. However it is necessary to manage he1, and in dealing with her there is no
other expedient but tl'ickery." Alas ! Mother Gerin was
believed and was even praised for having acted with such
ability, and her , friends deplorecl the decadence of the
mind and soul of l\f other de l\fa tel.
However, writes l\Iother de Bly: ''She was far from
Leing what they thought. On the contrary, her mind was
very penetrating and her judgment sonnd; she was not
less intelligent in temporal affairs than enlightened in
spfritual matters. In an instant she penetrated both, so
that it "ras not eas.r to deceive her." 2 'rlrns she clearly
saw the nnfavorable judgrnents of which she was the object,
lmt ~he W'as far from being dejected by them, and rern imlecl he1self ho"~' in the times' when she wa~ songht
a fie1 and admired, she had ardently begged he1 Divine
~JHrnse to nrnke her like Uimself, by satnrating her with
opp1obiums, and even making he1 lmss for a fool. 'Yhih~
ki~si11g a ciucifix which she lteld in her hands night and
d ay, she sa id to Hi m : "It is now, my clear Lo1d, tha t
Y on r li tile dm1glt ter h as corne to be despised. l 1ong
more tlw cve1 to h01101 Yom almserncllt by my oyn1 ~onlit was 1' <> 111:1rk e <l l>v th e eont e mpornri e s of l\Iother <l e Mat e-! tlrnt
11 P<t ve n ~w e m e <l to t ;1k e h e r 8 id e . ~\ nY on e wl10 l' Cll<h'r e cl h e r s e rvices
was s uon full()w e 1l lJy bl ess ing s ancl gTaees. and, 011 the oth e r 11an<l.
11 n ex p ec t L <l ;1 ncl pl'um pt ch as t i s c m<: 11 t s f e 11 on tl1 os e wh o a ffli c t e d h e r.
Tllis r e li g ion s who liad l e nt hirns e lf to a. manne uv e r wl1ich was evi<l e ntl y 11nju s t . having s pok e n ir o nic;11ly uf th e saintly Founclr e ss,
" non a ft c l' saw himself th e hutt of ::; 111...: h a v iol e nt persecution that he
l e ft lii s O rcl e r : 111<1 w e nt hnck to the worlo.
2Ma.n11 sc ript l\T e moi1 of l\10tl1 e r de B ly , Part II . ch . VI.
0

~fOTHETI DE ~IA.TEL S LA_ST SO.JOLR)\ ~T P~RIS

Jj'Q

dirion. Glorify Ye>nr~elf h; the humiliatic1ns prncurecl

for me. Pardnn rny persecutors and make them all acc.-11ding to -Your o-wn heart. " 1
The:'e clis1_1o~itio11s ,,f the humble :Jf1 the1 m -iuh1 be suf~
1friellt hy themsel\eS tO prn,-e the lit:1oism (1f lier n1nw.
:~\Ian.'- souls that are still imperfect. i11 mome11t:': .-,f fer,or
and in the absence of humiliation:':. are capable cif forming
clesfres for them. But these de:':l'es 'anish -when humiliations corne near. I t is only consurnrn~ne 'irn1e that feeh
-snch desires increase \\heu hnmiliario11s are g:rantec1. 011I:cha1it:- that is perfect in degree. ca11 1spire thb zeal to
honnr and g:lorify Gocl by new hurniliations. and rnake
a ~ou l ask Gocl to heap His grac:es upon th(ise \\ho are
the cause of them.
-~mong a1l the snfferings of :Jlother de :Jlatel. \\hat
. afflietecl her heart mo:':t. "as to see the harrnful inrluence
exenecl b> the ~uperinress upon the rest of the communit>.
Seime of her daughters to "hom sbe \\as not \\ell kno"-n.
had let thern~elnls be condnced that she did not care
for tbe inte1eq'S of the monaster;.-. but the~e we1e few.
The rnajority conld nnt belie-ve it. y-et they did not dare
to unclertake her defense against the assertions .-,f the
Superioress.
The sorrowful a11d :'ince1e co11fession by :Jlother de
Hly c1f the wrong she her~elf had clone the Fcn_rndres~.
might be the formula t:if the c1mfession of ail the others:
":Jfother Elizabeth (-;.eri11 had become so absolute i11 onr
corffent. that not one nf the Sisters clarecl to connadin
her in anythi11g:. _-U though I was pai11ecl l)y \\hat I ~a\\
our Founclre~s suifer. I ~-as false to rn> O\\ll heart on a
hunclred occasions thr(1ugh bnrnan res1 ect \\hich I shnulcl
not ha-ve had. I consiclered that it "-as prudent to act
in tbis ma1111eI". and that by hiding my feeli11gs I coulcl
the hener learn the sentiments of others. "-hose sus1 iicinns
I did not \\:h to aronse. but by "hom. ho\\eT"er. I "-as
:'nspectecl. lJeeanse I -was obse1Tec1 justifyi11g our ~orthy
.\Iother on a cerrni11 occasion. .I t was reportecl that I
1

i::\Ianu~ cript ~Iem oir

of

~Iot h er

de Bl y. P a rt II. ch. YI.

480

LIFE OF JEA.NNE CHEZ.HW DE lUATEL

told some of om ~isters not to distmb her, bnt to let

he1 act ncemdin to the li b0 hts whfrh Ood hnd boinln heit'o1 the gnod of the Onlei-, aud becan~e I lrnd asse1ie<1 tlrnt
~he wn~ ;\ go()(l ~lothe1, mid tlwt, lw'li11g 1H_
l1, Wll had noilling
to fem-.
"'J'he ~n11tl1i01e~~ once seut rne to the pal'lo1 to beg
the Com1li]01 Poncet to have patience while waiting for
he1 to <orne, aiul I took ac1Ym1tage of this chance to speak
to hirn as l had doue to the Sisters. Ilut she soon dis<__oy01e(l thi~, beeanse he told her and gave her to understand tlrnt he highly ap1noyed of my vie"r A.fter this
she took cnre that I should not see any of the persons
who were active on her side, and Rhe said that I was good
foi nothing exeept to spoil e'Terything. She told the uth,
for I h~we never doue anything great~ although, like this
~[othe1, l have always had the intention to do my best
in all the offices enti-nsted to me,. which oceu1)ied me so
eouti1rnously tbat I could not find time to go and do my
dnty to onr l\Iother Fouud1ess, who compla_ined of this
and nsked the 8npetioress if she hncl fo1bidden me to
go to he1 room. Rhe repliecl that she had uot, but that
I was kept busy with my offices of bu1sar an~d infirmal'ian. I wns kept mnch more lmsy by letters that I had
io "Tite to val'ious persons, solicitiug them to terminate
ihe coufract.~
On one occasion amoug othe1s, a most painful blow
wnN dealt to the w01thy .'.\Iother, by her danghter de Bly,
whorn ~he ehe1iNhe(l rnost tendcr1y. l\fothfl1 Ge1in had
~p1ea(1 the im1101 tlwt the Pl"io1 of Saiut-Ge1mai11 had
detl~1rni11ed to snp1nef-'~ the rno11aste1y if the Fonudress
,\-0111<1 1101 Nig-H thP faial coufrad:
Sister .lemme of .Jesus,
hei11g n fPJ'YPlli nligions m1d 111ost devoted' to he1 voca1iml :rnd he1 ()Ide1, felt ~nd1 1min at the hann that would
, h<~ doJ1e to the 1101101 of Ood nnd of her ve1iei-ated :\Iother,
th:lt slip ('Ollld 1101 lesfrnin 11e1~elf, and went to her to
PX]H'l1SS the p:tll JI iCI'lllS f'111J of' ClllOti011, Sl_Ylllg' to hCI':
~fot1ter, . 1 1tlV<' jn~t 1e:1.111( d that the 111011astp1y which
~

1 l\1 <in

u ~ <: ri pt l\ 1(' 1110 il o f' l\ 1o t l w r d e H 0 1~, . P :1 r t 11, c li . Y

r.

::\IOTHEU DE ::\I.ATEL-'S L\ST SO.JOFUX AT P .\UIR

481

you founded, i~ to be oYeI"thrown, and that you will

be called its de~troye1, 011 aeconnt of yonr refusal to deelare in legal forrn yonr good intentions t<nnuds ns. From
this yonr re1rntation i~ reiYing the g1eate~t injnry. It
is believed that yon aie acting in this way frorn loYe of
money."
"0 my Uod," tonthrnes the voor penitent in the bittemess of he1 soul, ""how incapable I am of descrihing
the pain that pierced the heart of this pions )[other ! rrirnt
heait already so afflieted that it liYed only on tears and
sighed "'"ithont ceasing ! If I could only depic t the s'veetne~s and patienee with 'd1ich she listenecl to me \Yhile
I told her how she w as jndged ! I ll<we often thought
that the Incarnate rronl permitted my indiscree\t zeal
to nrnke her feel the pain He Himself felt cluring His
Passion, 'd1en St. Peter, tr-emhling at the voice of a servant maid, dismn1ed Him as his ~laster, on seeing Him in
the JHnver of His enemies. 1fy consolation in the sad
rnemory of my own eonduct at that time, is the assurance
giYen me by rny heart of hadng always esteemed and
loved our Foundress clee1)Iy, in spite of the apparent coldness into 'Yl1ieh I was led by weakness and fem. In her
I adored the orfler of Go. In my heart I reverenced all
that appemed to me to take place in her soul, and espeeially her :fidelity in following the extraordinarily hard
road in which God made her w alk, and the submissiveness,
the humble patienee, and the sweetness of spirit with
which she remained in that road.'' 1
One of the things "Thieh contrilrnted most to cause mistrnst and intimidation_ among the Risters, was that the
Snperiore~s, in the blindness of her zeal. went so far as
to ask them to make novenas of prayers, begging God to
enlighten and tonch the heart of the ~lother Founclress.
\Ye feel the pen of )fother de Bly trembling with indignation as she records thi~: .. --1\"Yhile the Superioress was in
:nkness, she was asking light for the ~lother who "T a~
filled with it from her experience and from the communication~ 'Yith which she ha<l been fayorecl by the Divine Sun
1Manuscript Memoir of l\'Ioth er de Bly, Part IL c h. VII.

482
of .JnRtfre. )fother Uerin acted 1ike one who had a bandage
0Ye1 her eye:-., and iefnNed to let it be. tnken off, anrl yet
wis11ed to lend, 011 an m1known pnth, m10thc1 whose eye~
\H}l'C' not f'O\"(:'l'Cd. " l
'J'he~c Jmtyen,; \n1e l'<'ei ted af t e1 the 11 oms of the of1ke, n11d, a:-.: the wol'thy ~Iothe1 n1ways assistecl at them,
she snffered nnspeakably in her soul from this obstinacy
of the Snperio1eNs in desiring things that we1e harmfnl
to herself and to the whole Order, the consequences of
whirh she ti-ied in vain to ~how her. ""Dear Lord," she
~ays, '"Yon see an thnt my danghters make me snffer.
Pmdon them, for thcy know not what they do. r:rliey llo
not lrnow the Jrnrm they are doi11g to themselvet; b~' wishing wha t they ask. '' 2 W"hen she met some of the religions
on he1 way to or from the e1w1;e], she said " 'ith a sigh:
""-A.Jas! rny danghte1s, \Yhat mrnoyanees yon me causing
me! ~ever was a mother afflidcd 1ike me. Howevcr,
I CX('ept the Mother of God, for l mnst not compaie my
sorTows with hers. I prny Onr Lord to pardon :yon, and
to make you takc pity on yonr .Jfother who hears yon
in he1 heart y hcr ]oye for you.'' 3
The same storm whieh b1ows ont a weak 1ight, makes
the ttames of a fnrnace more intense. r:rhe Roly Spirit
assnres ns that great wate1s and overflowing rive1s are
not capab1e of extinguishing ue charity. 'l'lius it was
with the charity and all the virtnes of the veuerablc
Mother. 'J'hey never shone brighter than in the mid~t
of the s torrns nu th n ined :1g<1i11st he1. 'rhere was 110 injusti ee or ii1gratitndc which wns capable of begetting a
deRirc for vcngeanee in a hemt which was all supe1natn1nlizcd hy diYine love, tlwt love whieh is ~trong as death.
Fo1 i11 her tase, ]mtience wn~ 110t nn effect of weakness
which giyes wny: lrnt of' mngn:mimity, of stiength of soul
whieh, plnciHg nhove nll persoHal illterest~, the i11tcrestR
of O<Hl :rnd om 11cig;hho1 has the (onrage to sacl'ifiec itself to
<lefe1ld thcm.
1 Man rn-wri

2lhi<km.

:lf bi<l c m.

pt M e rnoir of Mother (l e

Hl~r .

Part II. c h. V [ I.

:.\IOTHER DE :.\IATEL) S LAST SOJOrnx ~\T p ATIIS

483

The repeated bl mY s clealt t o the ,-en erabl e )fother and

the Yiolence " -hich she hal to do herself to sustain so many
assanlts, had a te1ling effeet both on her body and on
lier soul. )lother de Bly says: "Snell was the \ehemence
of the sorTow "-hich oppressecl her that sh e coulcl only half
breathe. like a person snffel'ing from a pain in th e si de. " 1
She hacl g1eat diffi c:ulty in lenYing ber io om: she placecl
around it ~eY e n pidnres. before each she recitecl specinl
prayers in honor of ihe stations of t he Pns~don of the
Sa Yi or: she then retmnecl t o the arm -ehair. which she
called he1 C1oss. in front of \Yhich she had plaeed a lifesizecl 1minting of t he c1neified SaYior. H er days \Yere spent
in gazing at this arlorabl e Yictim. in following Him. in
penetl'ating the depths of the mysten- of the Cross, in
noting and blessing ench one nf the marks of resemblance
to the f>frine :\Iodel. \Yhich snffe1ing imprinted on her
sou 1. \Yhen lier heart was broken a t seeing her daugh ters
\Yhom she loYecl. aYoiding her. and not claring eT"en to
speak to he1. she coumrnned 'Yith the sm-rmY of he1 goocl
Jfnster at seeing His is<.:i11l es nbanclou Him. \Yhen her
best intentions \Yere rniscunstrned and in terpretecl as lm-e
for money: \Yhen she sa \Y herse If lookecl npon as a }Jerson
whose rnin<l 1rnd he(ome \Yeak . she uni ted her:-'elf to .J esus
falsely accnsed , treated as a Samaritnn. as one vossessecl
b.' th e deYil. and clothed \dth the gannent of a fool: \Yth
llim she de:-:ee11ded in t o the sael'ecl n bysses of ~uffering
in 'Y hi ch the soul di es t o all t ha t is h umnn. an cl is cons11111nw tecl in God. 2
1:.\Ia nu s c ri pt :.\Ie m oir of :.\Iother de Bly. Par t II . ch. YIII .
2T he pi o u s an d ill us tr i ous :.\Ionsign or Ga> say s:
'" S o r row after
ha ving fo rm e d m a n. tr ansforms h i m . G o d "i s h es t o s up e rn a tura liz e
man . whi c h m ea n s t o d e i fy h im. ~--\.f t er gr ace . -w hi c h , is th e principl e
o f this di v ine ope r a tio n in t he s ou l an d w hich i s b o rn fo r us fr o m
t h e s u ff e ri n g s of J es u s. n o t hing is so advan t ageous as suff er ing-.
T he r e a.re so m e secre t s \Yh i ch are spo k en ancl some exchan g e s of
lo '; e w h ich a r e made. only on t he Cross. T his mystery i s t he hear t
nf a ll othe r s. And. moreo-..-er. i t has i t self a hear t . a ce ntr e h idc1 e n
cl ee p , di -.. in e l y cl eep. It is opene cl t n u s onl> b y so 1T O\Y : n o t e -..e r >
so r ro w . b u t so1TO\Y w h i c h i s t rue. l egitim a t e. lo \"in g. co n fi din g. cu ns t a nt . O h '. w ho can te ll a ll there is i n a half - hour pa ss e c1 in t he
i nt e ri or o f the cr u c ifi x. heart to heart \Yi th tha t H ear t in w hich
repo s es t he s ubs t ant ial f ul ness of t he Holy Ghos t. \Y ho ca n t e ll a ll
that th is r eYea ls. a ll t he g r aces i t cau~es t o fto\Y in abu n dance. in
fin e a ll t ha t it gi ves o f G od '."

484

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ.A.RD DE i\L\.TEL

Often he1 intel'ior colloquie~ were translated outwardly

into lrnrning rn-ipirations which revealed some of her innermost dispo~tions to those of her daughters ".,.ho had the
havpiness of approaching he1. :Mother de Bly observed
in ber a Ye1y 1apid movement of the lips in prayer when
~he was more luwshly in-essed to consPnt to the contract
toncoded by tlte ~n11erioress. On being asked why she
dl thi~. the good :)lother ievlied: :)Jy daughter, I was
making ads io (all God io my help, and 1 multiplied
them in proportion aN I was more distress~d by anguish,
and as l ~aw more obstinaey exeI"ted to obtnin the contrad as plam1e(l by the Ruperio1ess." 1
One ay the1e fell into her hands a letter written by
the Snperioress to Father Pontet. In it she spoke of the
Fonndress in her nsnal wny when diseussing her, saying
among other things that it was desfrable that some one
endowe<l with the ze<1l and eharity of Father Poncet would
take on himself he1 spii-itnal dfrection, becam;e she had
fallen awny from the gift of inayer which Onr Lo1<l had
fo1me1ly bestowed 011 he1, and of \Yhirh she lrnd been
('(mtimrnlly Npeaking, nn that 1 spite of this condition
of her sonl ret'efred Holy Communion eve1y day.
Ead1 wonl of thi~ nnfortnnate document was a sword
pie1eing the hcal't of the saintly Mother. Tt seemed as
if Ood had nbandoned hcr, and that pe1sons wcre plan11 ing to depri ve he1 of da i ly Communion, the misfortune
thnt !'-lhe dreadt>d rnosi. Thenc-e ~he p1essed to her heart
ihG trncifix, whkh waN never ont of her harnls, and thns
<tdd1e~sc(l it: ""0 my Lord, con Id it be pos~iblc that "'hile
1 am Nllffe1ing-, fm loye of Yon, all the evils thnt l have
to Nntfe1, You \]'(' not \vith rnr, Yon, 0 infallihle 'l'1nth
\Ylio aNsmeN llN, tl11ongh Yom ProphPt, ilint Yon al'C
\\'itli ihosp who sull't1 frihnlaiio11N'! 1 am NlllT<>lllHk<l wit11
j })(~ lll, l1l<l thPy ll"(' \'PI'Y t2,'1'P\t ~ rny Nolll is i11 lll lhyss
of' Nonow. F'll1H is fomHl wHh rny 1eePiviug Yon en~ry
<h1y. llld jj SPPJllS tlwt- thPy wiNh io Jll'PVl'lli iL . . \la~~
(]p:n LoI'(l, wh:li wo111<1 h(<ornc of rne if 1 were <leprived
I l\ lanu sc ript l\l<'moir of' Motti e r tl (' Ul y, Part JI , ch . XI V .

l\lOTHEil DE l\IA'l'EL;'S L.\ST SOJO U il~ AT P.\.RIS

485

of this happiness? I beg Yon not to permit it, or else to

take me ont of this world, since, 0 my God, You know
Y ou are my su persu lJstm1 tin l bread. Hemem ber tlw t i t
is my sirength and my whole coHsolation in this valley
of tenrs. " 1
.M other de )fa tel was rnost spn~iti 'Te to the ie1Jroach
thnt she hn au inor-drnte ]oye for mouey, as the frequency
of her conve1sa tions on this su bject p1mres. Rince the
uuj nst 1woposnl made by the Rnperioress and resisted with
sneh firrnness, lJy the Fonnchess, the latter hnd taken eyery
opportnnity to make k nown t o her dnnghte1s the lawfnlness of the means '"hieh he1 DiY'ine P1odder had employed
to inr1ern;;;e h er resonrce~. and to gi,Te her, aecording to
His promise, the wherewith to found ffre monastel'es.
She related to thcm how, on n thon~aud occasions, His
Providence hnd been mnnifested ~ for examp1e., 110w the
l'oyal edicts, 'Yhich at diffe1e11t times ine1eased the ntlne
of money, hnd al,vnys been 1mblished nt the very moment
when those 'vlw lrncl bonowed from her, had repaid her,
and thns she lrnd mnde eonside1ale gains. 2 She told
thern also whnt she hacl doue to mannge the properties
which lwd been .given h er aud to respond to the design
of God npo11 herself and her Order. She tried to instill
into them the sen tlment~ of admiration nud gratitude
to God which she had eoneeiY:ed from the mernory of
His benefits, exhorting thern to prove their gratitude lJy
the faithful use of God's graces. But, e~pecially, she conc1uded from the ahoye rensom:( ho"T false it wonld be to
give np the::-1e fnnds aR if t hey hacl been dishoilestly acqnired by ber and to declnre that Rhe gave them np to
relieve he1 conscience.
1Manusc ript l\I e moir of l\Iother de B l Y. P ar t II. c h . YI.
'.? This singula1 protection hacl b een n oted . n o t o nly )) y th e g rat ef ul l\'I o th er. but by m::lny other p erso ns who ob3e r Ye d a nd affirmed it.
Thus Mr. cl e Can t a riny . one o f th e w ealt hi e st h a nk e rs uf th a t tim e.
to whom she e nt1 u st e d th e in ves tm e nt of h er money. affirrnec1 that
h e h a (l often n o tic ed tha t there was a spec i a l bl e ssin g on wha t
b e longe d t o l\1 ot h e r de Matel. an c1 th a t h e hims t=' lf hacl m e t with
every kind of prosp er it y sin ce h e hac1 m a nag ed h e r bu s in es s. Once.
in particular. he had b ee n thr ea ten ed with imminent ruin . and a ll
Paris was full of this rumour. but s h e h a d pray e c1 for him anc1 h a d
a~surec1 him that God would assist him a nd h e would not succumb.
This wa s v e rifi e cl , a nd h e ca rn e t o tha nk h e 1 rnost heartil y.

486

LIFE OU'

.JEAN~E

CHEZAilD DE 1\IA'l'EL

Tt IN eaNi1y unel'Ntoo<l ho\Y painfnl it was fol' the

ve11el'nhle 1'Iother to see hel' actions misconstrn ecl and her
w01dN. which were inspired hy ho1101able intentions~ misrep1esented as if thPy had been dictatecl by sol'clid motives
of Ion~ f01 money. ln this paill, as in all others, ber only
c01isolntio11 was to tnl'u to llim W"ho fathoms hearts, and
W'horn she lm'ed ahove all things, tnk1g Him as her witness, nucl mnltiplying her assurances of ficlelity to Him.
To comfort her sonl she eYen composed some stanzas, which
breathe forth her sonow and) i11violable attaclnnent to
God. and she elumtecl thern as she enjoyed the fresh air
at one of the windows of her room which looked ont on
a iow of tall pines. She helieYed that she was not overhemd, but Sister Fra n ces Gra vie1. who al wn,'\'s remained
near he1, as far as it "'as possible, remembe1ed some frag
ments of these stanzns and gave them to Jiother de Bly.
rrhey canuoi: be read withont dclight and cdification. T he
lnek of 11olish will be mol'e than co1111ter-balanced by their
tonching arnl S\Yeet miction.
Beneath the pinetree's waving shade,
\Vlhere robins love to thrill their song,
\Vhile sun-kissed flowers reclining fade,
And make my soul fo.r Heaven long,
From :vratin bell till Vesper chime,
\VHh claspd hands on bended knee,
I raise my soul in praise sublime:
"O Mas ter, hear ! Reme1ll'ber me!
\Vhen e'er dark clonds descending low
Attempt my soul from Thee to hide,
)Jo self-made god no hell-born foe
Shall sink my soul in sin's dark tide !
A pilgrim soul Thy la ws I keep,
No golden calf my idol pet,
The graven stones of Sinai's peak
In my poor heart are firmly set.
A thousand deaths no matter where,
f'd di e, 0 Lord, to be with Thee!
My h ea rt is fix e d forever ther e
Where every soul from sin is free !
.\ly \Vay, my Truth, my Life remain
Wh ile hillows surge and t e mpests roa r !
~\1 y sou 1' s frai 1 lm r k f rom wr e c k sus tain ,
'Till anchored safe 011 Henven's shore!"

The Monastery of Paris.-Series of Trials

l{)H3-1GGS
In the plan of l\fothe1 Ge1in, the uote whid1 she had
heen ~o f~ag'C~1 tn ohtain was 011 ly a ~tep towmds the ratification of the unjnst eontrad. T'herefore, after a truce of
some days she ieopened he1 attacks. Bnt t hey met with
the same lack of snccess. rrhen she brought into action new
and sfronge1 ha tte1ies. She spread the rep01t that the
Prior of Saiut-Ge1main wns unwilling to accept this note,
and that he demanded a contra.et in legal form, in defanlt
of 'Yl1ich he was determined to suppress the conYent, m1d
that, as the Jiother Fonndress continu ed to icfn.se to nwke
the eont1ad which was demauded, the deshnetiou of the
houRc 'n1~ imminent. This report iHisecl n great commotion a111ong i he friem1~ of the monaste1y and its irnnates.
and the poor ~Iother began to be assailcd l)y solieitations
and iemonsi I"anees from all sicles.
No nrntter how alarming became these rm110rs of impending rnin, or how painfnl the attacks ou heI"self which
resnltecl from them, she remained nnslmken in her demand
of the elimination from the contract of the danse which
falsely asse1ted that she gaye her funds to the monastery
to unburden her conscience. l\Iother Gerin fanci ed that
Prior Be1nmdon, who was l\Iother de l\fatel's confessor,
was eiieomagiug her in this resistance, and she iesolYed to
place her nnder the direction of the confessor of the community, a yonng priest whom she had entirely imbued with
her own views. Hadug failed in attaining her pnrpose
hy other means, she had recourse to the anth01ity of the
Pri01 of Saint-Germain. On thiR, as on other occaRions. he
lent her the aid of bis strong hand.
Mother de 1\fatel, lrnving no Ruspicion of this plot, unwittingly fu1nished an opportunity of execnting it, by
sending M:. Bernardon to the Abbey to ask Dom Ignath1s
487

488

LTFE OF

.TE .\~~E

CHEZAHD DE :\IA'rEL

Philibert to iestmc the paperR which he had taken from

her. nie Pri01 took this occasion to say that, nccording; to
i11forniatio11 ietcfre<l. ::\l. Be1nmdo11 wns at the hottom of
the frouhles of the monastery, and t ha t h is com1 sel i-1 prcn~n ted the Rnpc1i01e:-;s from winning oyc1 the mind of
He,e1e11d )Jothe1 <le )Jatel. ~\ceonling1y. as Rnpe1ior of the
{'Oiffent. he felt it his dnty to J'C'JllCRt l\l. Be11rn1llon to disl'<mtinrn_ ~ hemin~ tl1e <onfe~sion of the Fonndress m1d saying
~fass in the monnstc1y cbapel.
~neh tlianks for services rendered to the :\f other Fonndre:-:$ nrnl her whole 01de1, we1e totnlly 11nex1)eded by ~I.
Bc1nardon. He "'ns exeeedingly mol'tified, and. nfter haYing defeJHlef1 his {'Olll ' ~e in H few words fnll of dignity, he
went sfrnight to )Iother de )fatel to gfre her an ncconnt
of his yisit. He added that he wonld not corne agnin to
see he1, and thnt without delay he wonld leaYe Paris,
whel'e, nfte1 ha Yi ng accom1m 11 icd the yenel'n hle 3Iother. he
wonld not lrnYe I"emained exccpt to render her the ndditional scr,ice of iaking he1 to Roanne for the conternpla ted fmmdatio11. after the <lfl'nfrs whfrh she hnd to
annnge in the enpital hnd been <_one]rnled.
~ro inttict, on her ncconnt. snch an affront on so dc,~ oted and estimable a peiRon aN Prim Rernmdon, "as to
inttid on the heait of the goocl )lother one of the most
painfnl wounds that <ould be recciYcd. 'l'hiR ncw frial wnR
destined to be the Nonrce M mnn.r othe1s. In mder not to
expose nny othc1 priest to the freatment which he had
ieeeiYed, shc l'CNigned he1sel f to aecept as her confesR01
the chaplnin of the commnnity.
AR we haYe already mentioned. this p1iest was yonng
and inexpe1ienee<l, and ahsolntely nner the intlnenec of
the Rnpe1i01eNs. The1ef01e he had only 011e aim in dfr.ecting Jlothe1 de .Jlaicl, that of mnking he1 a<lopt the fo1mnla
of' the <on fr n c t n s <11 a w n u p h y J[ o th cr Gel' i 11 F 01 t 1t i R
Prnl, he l1sed nll thP 111pm1s in his powel'. lie ~onght to
irn~pi1e lH1 wHh N<'J'Hples, f01 1<>h11ding the p1og1ess of the
11wnmde1y. Tl.P iTeaied hr1 like a 11oyice be;i1mi11g the
1

spi1iinal life.

He tlneateHed to dep1ive her of Holy

~om -

THE ::u oX.\STERY OF PARIS.-SEIUES OF 'l'RL\.LS

48!)

mnnion and obliged ber to ask his permission foi it each

day. The humble )lother whose former directors of the
8ociety of J esus, had obtained for her from the Holy See
itself, a permission for her to receiYe daily, submitted withont protest, and eyer_y morning she went to the eonfessoi
and on both knees begged his pennission to receiYe. She
would liaYe doue a thousand times more in order not to
lose such a blessing, for she dreaded snch a priYation more
than the loss of life itself.
One clny, as )lother de Bly was snvvorting he1 whe11
she was going down stairs to the choir, to make her confession and to assist at "Jlass, the "Jlother said to ber:
"Jiy danghter, I am mnch afraid that they "~m dep1iye
me of Roly Commun ion on acconn t of my mnrorthiness.
The confession al is a don ble tribunal to me. To what examinations am I there subjected by him who represents
the Snpreme Jndge ! "Jiy danghter, pray for 1ile.'' In oider to prepare her for eYery eYentnality, Jiother de Bly,
'Yl10 was well inf01med abont what 'yas being said on this
matter, replied to her: "")lother. if they notice these fears
in yon. perhaps they will take occm'.'lion from them to say
that you ha Ye made a mere ha bit of daily Communion and
that this alone is snfficient reason to depriye you of it."
The worthy "Jlother re1Jlied: ")ly danghter, I wish ~ou to
know that although I haYe enjoyed the happiness of receiYing daily foi nigh forty years, I liaYe neYer made one
Communion -"ithont the consent of iny confessors or from
ioutine, and tha.t 1 am ns hnngry now for this Bread of
~\_nge l s as I 'yas the first ti me I had the j oy of reeeiYing it. " 1
In spite of his own wishes, the confessor did not dare
to exeeute his threats. He made np for this by not sparing lrnmiliations to the yenerable "Jiother. But her loYe for
.Jesns suffeiing, whieh intiamed her "ith such a desire tn
(frink of the clwliee of His ovv1obriums, cansed these lrn miliations to be delicions to he1 soul, and this ne'Y kind of
trial se1yed only to edify those who were witnesses of the
patience with which she ~mpported it.
IManuscript l\l e moir of 1\lother cle

Bl~.

Part II , ch. IX.

490

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZ . .'..RD DE l\IA'.rllJL

~rhe presence of another pe1son l ikewise seemed to

l\lothe1 Gerin to be an obstacle to the accomplishment of
her wishes. She gaye the Pri01 of Saint-Germain to understand tlrnt nothing wonld be gained by sending away
the confe~sor of :Mother de J\Iatel, unless her secretary. Sister Frances Gravier, we1e separated from her, and that, if
~he "~ere forced to leave the honse for eight days dming
which the President of Cogneux offered to keep her in his
hom~e, it was ce1ta]n that they would obtain from the
Foundress all that thcy (1esired. 1 >om Philibert was willing to use his anthority nlso for this arrangement, and he
sent to the monastery his own secretary, l >om Arsenius,
with an order to make Sister Frances Grayie1 leaYe the
monastery.
'Yhen l\Iother de l\fatel saw this religions enter the
pal'lor, she unde1stood that a ne'\Y assa nlt was to be made
against her, and he1 heart hegan to palpitate violently.
Howeyer she listened calmJ:r to whnt he hnd to say, and
then ieplied that, althongh she had the g1eatest l'er-;peet
for the w1shes of the Fnther P1io1, it wns ot posf.lible fo1
her to consent to what he proposed, and thnt, withont mentio11ing what it wonld eo~t he1 to hP dep1fred of i he services of this se('1ebry, -it wonld lw too great an ingratitude
nnd injustiec to re1wy, hy a <lisg1acefnl exile, the deyotedness of one of the first danghters of her Congregation who
from the age of fifteen, l1ad sncrifieed all thnt was <leniest
to her ]n the w01ld, to consecl'ate he1self to the Institnte,
nnd had shared the fntignes or all the fo1111dnti011s. Ro far
she had depriYrd lte1sel I' of the ('OllSOlation of taking the
Yeil foi the pmpose of 1emle1in: gTen ter ~e1, ices to the
(frde1, nn th nt, mol'eo\p1, t lie Fonn <llp~s lw <1 p1om i~e{1 t lw
f'amily of Ri~te1 P1mw<1 ~ 011Yie1 to give her 1-he 1eligion~
h1hii, lll<l ~]1p ('0111<1 110( hl'<1lk hp1 \\'<ml hy NPll<ling lt('l'
H\\'l,V.

'f'l1Pse f'01<el'11l wonls wp1e no( p11011gh to w:tn1 off the

lilow. Hom . . \1seni11s ltt<l 1p(ehP<l ltis onleis and li e wn8
<kdp1111i11e<l io 'exe(nte ilte111. llowe,e1 he w:rn 11at111nl1y
~y111pntlt0tic <111<1 ge1tlle, nnd tppP:11ed i01H'hPd h.Y the pnin

THE ~IO~ASTERY OF PA.llIS.-

SEllIES OF TRIALS

491

that he ""'itnessed. Siste1 Frances Grayier said to him as

she burst into teais: ~If I haYe eommitted any fanlt, giYe
me any penance yon "ish, lmt do not expel me from the
honse, do not separate me from my dear )fother. " 1 He
ied to console her, and exhorted her to make the sac1ifice
for the loYe of God, and held ont hopes that the separntion
"onld not last long~ he then hurried a "ay after saying
good-bye. The yenerable )lother oYercame her own extreme
affliction and recommended her dear danghter, no mntter
"hat happened, to remain faithfnl to God and snlnnissiye
to the diYine ,wm, and to seek help from Him alone. 'J1hey
then tore her from her )fothers arms and turned he1 ont
of the honse.
Jiother Gerin lost no time in ta king ad Yan tage of the
facilities "hich she thonght she had secnred by thns rending the heart of the Fonndress. She and those '"ho supported her. mnltiplied their solicitations to make her consent to the proposecl eontract. But all their eff01ts only
proYed that her resistance, far from being inspirecl by exterior intiuences, was the effert of a conYiction which the
loss of all lrnman aids "onld be incapable of shaking, becanse it was grounded on conscience and God. Howeyer
another obstacle. which the Snperioress had not foreseen.
nmY arose in the way of the execution of her projects.
Prior Bernardon before leaYing the capital, had "Titten
to the :\Iatel family informing them of ho" their dear relatfre was being trea tecl. They were alarmed by the ne"s.
:\Ir. Dumas was at that time at the Court of Sayoy and
conld not then absent himself. but immediately sent his
,Yife to Pal'is accompanied by :\fr. ReYerat, his brother-inlaw, in order that they might procure first-hand information of the snfferinp;s of their dear aunt and put an end to
them.
\\""hen the:r arriYed at the conYe1it, great was the surprise of all and eSJJe(ially of the Superi01ess. For a moment she thonght all her plans had heen frustrated, '"hile
those who 'Yere lamenting the state of oripressfon in whkh
1Manuscript

~IemoiI

of :\Iother d e- B?ly, Part II. ch. YIII.

492

LIFE

or~'

.JEA~ :~m

CHEZ.\.UD DE l\1 ATEL

the venera hle 11..,oundress was liYing, rejoiced in the hope

thnt it wonld end at last. But God was the primn.ry cause
of hel' tiial~; it was Hi~ loYe fol' hel' that had annnged
tht>m, and lnnunn means eonld not pnt au e11d to them.
rs it not nccessnry that I shonld drink of the chalice
which ~Iy Father has prepal'ed for ~le?" said the DiYine
)!aster when He made His disci1Jle pnt back into its scab
bard the sword whith he had diawn to deliYer Him from
His encrnies. 'l'herefo1e the effort made in this conjunct11re
was to be 1cffectnal.
)lothe1 Gerin was d;concerted for a moment nt this nnexpected aniYal, but her mind, so fel'tile in expt>dients, soon
fonnd a menus to exfricnte her from this difficnlty. Haying
laid her plan, shc iufo1med ~fothcr de ~Iatel of the aiTiYal,
:rnd mnnifestcd the gieate~t engel'ness to take her to the
pailor, snying that she wished to gieet her relatiYes and to
1ejoice with her in theil' company. '"Ah! my danghter, how
cleye1 yon me ! 'rhat is not yonr principal pnrpose/' was
the reply of the worthy ~Iother who conld not be tlrns duped.
But the Su1Jeri01css could not be prevented from accompanying her. 2\ladamc 1 )nrnas was not e'l_nally patient and declared thnt she wished to speak to her annt alone. ~Iother
GeI'n w-as thns foreed to ietfre. But she did not giYe np
playing hel' pmt. ..\ rnmHcnt after, 1-1he l'.mne back at the
head of the whole l'.mmmmity, the JJrofessed and the noYices,
the poRtnlanis aud the T~ittle Sistel's of the Ohild Jesus,
whom she })J'eseuted to ~lother de ~Iatel's relatiYes, who
we1e happy to ~:ee tl1ern RO mm1e1<>11s and to rnake their
ncqnaintm1cc.
1)mi ng- tlie ('.() ll 1:-;e () r the ('Oll\eisa ti011 , shc lll<lll nges to
;et )fnda111e I>nrnas and ~fr. ~en~rnt snrceNsiYely a~ide, to
jn:-1tify he1 ow11 co111Ne ~rnd 111ake thern enter into he1 Yiews.
f.,01 the pente of ~onl of thPi1 dca1 nnnt, it lwd l>ee11 11eces
sa1y to ~cpa11 te l1e1 front l1c1 1'01111e1 con f'e:-1so1 and her sec1chlly, wlio w<.}1c p1eYclltillg he1 1'10111 cxcenti11g n dee<1
whiC'h wa:-1 nscfu} foi the co111plete eNlHblislrn1eni of hcr mo11tste1y of Paris. But with tliis cx<"eptiou, uothing was larkiHg to he1; 1-!1cy wcie tnkil1g tlie hrf-t of <'are of hcr, and

THE :uo~~\STElff 011' 1-'AnIS.-SEUIES OF TnIALS

403

showing ber the grea test possible reverence. As proof of

this, she now gaye a thommnd caresses to the yenerable
Mother who endured them 'dthout shmdng the Yiolence she
w1s doing her~elf, and 'dthout letting others notice ber disgust, but afte1"ards she confe~sed tha t ne,er before h ad she
realized the sufferings of the Heal"t of ber DiYine ::\laster
when Judas betrayed Him with a kiss.
In order to insinna te herself still more into the good
graces of Jladame Dumas, 1lnther Gerin offered to make ber
the beneficiary of the rights of her aunt, as Fonndress, and
opened to her the doors of the monastery. Xaturally Jiadame Dumas joyfully accepted this offer, in order, to be able
to embrace her dear aunt and conYerse "ith her more confidentially. But she \n1s pe1mitted only a shoi-t time to be
alone with her, for this was not according to the lJlan of the
Superioress, who qnickly came to take her through the house.
On the """ay she reqnested her not to make any opposition to
~lother de jlatel's doing what "as desired for the ad,antafte
of the monastery. t4he also begged he1 to have set apart for
Sister Frances G1ayie1, an amrnal income from the patrimonial portion of Jlother de Jlatel which Jladame Dumas held
in her possession, sim e tlrn~ the capital w onld remain tlrn
propcrty of Jfadame Duma~. The latte1 had a fortune of her
mvn, but she hnd a lmge family and had set ber heart on establishing its memben; accmding to their rank. HoweYer
she \Yas not unfayorable to this inoposal and thenceforward
her feelings towmch~ the Rnperiorcss were singulaily modified. She had seen her acting so considerately and affectionately tmnuds her annt. and she ap1)eare so able and intelligent, that ~he pel'snaded hel'~elf that Jlother Ge1in was doing all for the best, so she went <1\YaY as 'Yell safo.:fied as she
had been ill-isposed on anidng. 'rherefore. on the next
day, when the poor exile. Rister F1ances Gr<wier, "'ent with
a heai~ fn 11 of hope to \velcome her, and to lea rn the resnlt
of her Yisit to the monastery, she was receiYed Yery coldly,
:.i.lthongh preyionF-dy Jfadnme Dumas had ahYays shown her
great affection, on account of he1 whole-souled deYotedne~s
to her clear annt. 'rhe poor Sister, in ber desolation at see..__

'

494

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZAilD DE l\1ATEL

ill; ilte f'ailnre of ihe rnemrnre tlnongh which she liad expee}d he1 own del iyermwe, {:a me to po11r her sorr'vs into
the hemt of il1e good l\lothe1, who felt intense pain from thP
JH'Oted111'C of he1 relatYC H1ld f'rorn ihe affliction Of her deill'
daughter.
Fflr the yene1able l\Iothe1, who was paf.:lsing through the
gleat tl'ilmlation -which makes great saints, eYerything, and
even that whieh should have 1noeu1'ed her consolation, hecnrne a source of ne'Y suffe1ings. On this point ::\fother de
Bly exclaims: 'iO my God, who can connt all the shaft~
which pierced the heart of this l\fother, nnder the multiplied
blows intlicted by so many persans so continnally and :in
snch diverse manners ! How was it possible for her to 1ose
none of the goodness and tenderness which Yon had poured
into he1 hemt for her daughters ! How was it possible for
tlrnt heart with its open wonnds on eyer.r side, to find ioorn
fo1 that ehmity which she showed especially to those who
we1e confradicting her the most !m
'rhe danger which had menaced the plans of )loth0r
Gerin for a moment, had now been allayed. But she sa id to
he1self that as the almm had been given, other a ttempt~
m1ght r11in these J>lans eompletely. She notified ber advi~erf-i
that it was nmY absolutely necessary to lrnle the deed drawn
np withont delay. 'rhe1efore, one after another. they resm1wd their solicitai ions, bnt fonnd the good l\lother immoYably detenni11ed 110t to giye her consent to this deed unless it
were conected. 'J'o i1H1nce he1 hy straightforward menus
wns now seen to be irnposf.lihle. It was ag1eed to giYe an appemanee of' acceptallce of her eonditions l>y promisinp: he1
1o make the neees~my l'OlTeti ions in the contra et. In fact
they rnodi fi cd it in s0111P poi11t~ ai al yet ietnined the elnnsp
of whi<'h she disapp10,e<1. Afte1 thiR i1lnso1y 1wmise thry
fixed npon a day to clof-le the nffail.
On Augnf.lt 18, 1()():1, Dom f;natins PhiJil>ert, Prim of the
Abbey or 8aint-Ge1111ai11-deN-P1PN; Dom Arseni11s, liis secrefary ; the Comwi101 P011ee1:, :rnd n 11otary met in the l'On n~n t p;n] 01-.
Bef'01e su 111111011i11; 1he 3Iother Fonndrl}ss, 1-lie
1M;inu :--;C' ript M e moir of l\1otJ1('r cl c

Hl~.

Part IT, c h. X .

THE 1\10NASTERY OF PARIS.-SERIES OU' '1'UIALS

495

Snperioress gave them her final insuctions. They mnst not

submit to ~fother de Mate] the corrections made in the original draft nntil it has been copied. \Yhile reading the docu
ment to ber, they must pass rapidly over the words fo which
she objects and they mnst a1Jpear not to hear her IJrotests.
'l"he disloyalty and infnmy of this programme are revolting..
However Mother Gerin wm; not aslrnmed to concoct it anff
her ascendancy was sufficient to have it adopted by men of
the high clrnraeter and profession to whom she pro1Josed it.
It is easy to imagine what a martyrdom a session tlrns p1epared had in store for the poor )fother.
At the ontset she asked to be informed of the corrections
made to the :first draft before the corrected document would
be transcrfed. 'rhey preteucled to be in a hnrry and assnred her that a 11 tlrnt hnd been done was for the best, and
they nrged the notary to mnke haste with his wl'iting. As
soon as he fiuished copying the eed he began to read it.
In it the pompons titles of -~\Iost Illustrions and Most
Re\'erend Iustitntrix and Foundress we1e lavished on the
good Mothe1, but every time she tried to interrnpt to ask an
explanation or to clenwncl a correction, the notary passed ou
withont appeal'ing to 11ear he1, and the others kept repeating
to the notary to read fnster as it was now late.
In the midst of these seeming honors and real affronts,
the virtue of the saintly :\Iother ne\'er fiinched ~ her heart did
not for one moment lose sight of ber Divine l\Iodel. She was
recalling what He ~mfferecl when the .J e"'S were buffetiug
Him and spittin~ iu His face, and, at the same thne, saluted
Hiim as King. She wns saying to Him: "Dem Lord, I am
indeed rehear~iug the part Yon then took. Here they are
pnying me fine ('Ompliments. 'rhey mnke nRe of the pnblir
Yoiee to write in thnt cleed tltat I am 1ecognh~ed as the Iu~titntl'ix <llHl Fo111Hl1e~~ of thi~ Hom~e. arnl of ihc whole Orclcr, and if T 011en my month eithcr to l'encler testimony to
the frnth 01 to decb1l'e my iutentions~ they lnetend not to
hear me, and tltey pass oye1 all rny l'easons as if they clicl not
desene to e hemd. Ah! Yon make me sec eleal'l~r tha t

4DG

LIFE OF

JEAX~E

CHEZAHD DE ::.\IA'l'EL

Yon do not forget the desl'e with "-hith Yon formerly in~IJired me, of pnssing for a fool in the eyes of men.'' 1
".,.ben the notary had completed the reading of the contrnct, the Father P1ior and his seL1etary signecl it and then
pre~ented it to the Fonndre:-.;s. '"l cannot sign it," ~he said.
'~rhis deed mnkes me cede my goods by "-ay of restitution,
nnd it is folse that 1 baye taken a"-ay or receiYed from any
one. anything to be giYen l>y nm to this monastery." 2 Iler
interlocntors replied: "\Ye indeed belieYe that, but it has
heen conside1ed best for you to stipnlate that you make the
donation to nnbmden,1 yom conscience, in order that your
relatiYes may not be able to claim it back later. ~IoreoYer,
since you hm-e promised God to fonnd this conyent you nn(rnrden yonr conscience by fnlfilling thnt promise.'' 'rl1e
Mother objeded: "'l'his is only a subte1fuge. For ""hat I
may haYe promised with regmd to this, was accomplished
twenty yems ago, as the monastery has been fonnded since
the year 1G4:1. ln a contract nothing shonld be expressed
which needs an explmrntion, nnless you wish to create difficnlties for the future. '' 3
W'th rninds tlrns inexo1ably p1edisposed on one side,
and with snl'.11 straightforwanl11ess and wisdom on the
othe1, the discussion dragged on dnring four morfal homs.
I >orn Ignatius Philibe1-t 'dshed to termina te it. Fsing his
m1th01ity, lie told ~Iother de )ratel to sign the document
witliout ti-oubling herself about what would happen afte1
he1. He iook it upon hirnself' to wnrd off all the misfortnnes
whicli she still atfi1rned would be drawn down on the mo1ias1e1y hy this <01it1f_t tlms f01Hrnlnd.
'ria ~<ti11tJy lj"onud1c:-.;s, tliho11gh uot olJliged hy nrn-, <tS
.\!otliel' dt H(ly s;tys, "lt;ul 11eYer lrnown wh<tt it was to be
oh!-'1i11a(p in 1psisti11g l ~t1p<>ri01 ." ~lie k11Plt dmn1 011 hoth
lrnees lll< , f'o)Jowiug th< t'Xl1llple oJ' lli111 ""ho WlS olJediellt
4

1 l\f a n u s c.: li pt 1\ 1e rn o i !' of .l.\ 1(1 t lie 1 <1 e B 1~'. 1 ':1 r t l 1. e Il . .X 1.

:! ll>i<l e m .

:: l hid<'lll ,
1 1f) i
111.

"(!

'_rH~ ~ro~_\S'l'EI1Y OF PAUIS.-SERIES 01!' TRIALS

497

eyeu uuto the death of the cross, ~he offe1ed up the exeme
Yioleuee whil'h she was snfferiug, and signed the nnfo1tunate
con tract..,
'l"'he imper whieh the poor :\Iother had now been forced to
sign was the death war1ant of he1 monastery of Paris, as
she had so often foreto1d it wonld be. ..\JI the 1ights whith
she had 1eceiYed U}JOn the matter haYe beeu despised and all
her "Tmuings haYe been iejected. But God has in 1eserrn a
teITible fnlfillment of her ]>Jophecies. 'Yhen, afte1 the death
of the Fonndress, it "ill be 1eqnfred by law to 1noduee before the Padiament of Paiis the tit1e deeds of the fonnding
of the monaste1y in order to 1noye that it has means of support, the ye1y words against whose irn.:ertion the Yenerable
Mother strngglecl so ha rd and so long, will mnke th is Rn1neme Court declare that the bouse hacl been founded on i11. gotten goods, and, conseqnently, mnst be sup1Jressed. All
that it po~sesses must be gfren OYer to a hospifal, and the
execution of this memmre shall be curnmmmated with such
ruthless and pitiless 1noeednres tlint it shall become mnnifest that a justke higher tha thnt of earth is yindicating
its rights.

W'11en, ten years nfte1 these sad eyeuts, )Iother de R(ly

will nndertnke to record them as matters of history, the finger of God will <l]Jpear to he1 to be so manifest in them that
she will be nnab1e to p1eyent herself from eonfessing it ou
many pages of ber 1ecitaJ: 'l"'lrns for example, she writes:
'''Yhen I consider the Yiolenee used against us for the clesfruetion of om monaste1y of Pmis, I often feel forced to repea t with the peniteut Prophet: Yon are jnst. 0 my God,
and Yonr jndgrnents are as jnst as they me profonud '.' Tt
has been doue nuto us as we Iuwe clone nnto Your faithful
handmaid, om wmthy L\Iothe1 Fonnd1ess. Xo mntter how
distl'essed T feel nt om cf4g,Tate, I enmwt hel }J rejoicing with
all my heal't nt the justice of Yom judg;ment~. Continue,
clem Lord, to exerci~e Yonr jm.;tite npon n~ as far as this
shall be Yom good plen~nre. but mny Yom mercy fayor us
on the lnst day of om life !" 1
1Manusc ript l\f e moir of l\1oth e r c1e B ly , P a rt 11 , c h. XI.

498

LIF'E OF JEANNE CHEZAUD DE l\IA'l'EL

IIenceforwaid the a11tici1mted sight of these misfol"tnnes

will never be ab~ent from the de:-\olnie soul of the pour
)lotber. 'l'o mitigate tbem by the amendment of the contract
of Angnst 18, " rill beeome her grent preoceupation. In order
to work for this without intenn1Jtion. she will defer the
fonndation of her fifth monaste1y and "''ill be nnwilling to
Ieaye the monaste1y of Pari~ befo1e :-\he has made eYer~' effni-t to saye it. Ilnt, in whnt a wni thi~ will inYohe he1 '.
~.he knmYs the nssaults that she has had to meet in her heroic
re~dstanee which only an auth01ity in which she res1Jected
that of God has been able to make he1 snrrender. 'rherefore.
nt the cost of wlrnt combats and snfferings will she not now
luwe to pure hase the iumph of jn~tice and truth ! X one
of' i he~e eonsiderations will be capable of ma king tbe yenerable )1other recoil. Aboye her own per:-\onal interests, there
som too high in hel' hen1t tlwse of the glory of God and the
good or her Order. therefo1e she "ill I"emain nt he1 post of
sfrnggles and s01Tows.
As the lende1 will iernembe1. )Jother Cerin, wheu she
WH:-\ sepmnting the Fonnd1ess from her faithfnl secretmyJ
He1 :F1anee:-\ G1ayie1, ha<l p1omi:-\ed to briug- he1 bnck as
:-\Oon a:-\ the g1ent affniI" had heen te1minated. After the settlemcnt at which we hnYe assisted. ~[othe1 de ~ratt~l a~ked
for he1 retnrn. But the ~npel'io1e:-\s ltad dete1mi11ed to p1eYent this and had takeu the .means to hare her 0"11 way.
~he had g-iren Dom I~;naiins Philibert to nnerstand that if
this Sister came back to the hon~e. sh~ wonld only keep the
11"'omHhe:-\f.\ exeited abont the eonfrad whieh she lrnd signed.
~he added ihat ihe " ' :-\Pst thillg to do wonld he to send her
lt(l<' k to Lyom:. :md t lw t- 1o :-\ai i ~r.r e\e1yho<ly i t "on l<1 l>e "'e 11
io :1:-.:~nre lier =t lif'e-l011g iHte1est i11 the ]nopel'iie~ " hie11
:\fof-Jip1 <le :\l:ttPl Ntill mnw<l n1- Ho:llllH\ m1<1 whi (' h wcre i11
ilH po:-\~PN~io11 of' IH1 1platinN wlio \nml<l 1i1l(l thiN ~PtilP111<>11! to 1ltPl' :1<1vn11ing<. :\lo(hp1 <i<1i11 woul<l gi\'<' th<> JH:-\iiion of' :-\P('l'Phll',\' o(' ~ fo(J1< 1 <l<' :\l:ti<_>] io ~:-\(Pl' .J('(lllll<' of
.J ('~ll~ <lP B(!y.
Tlt< P1io1 li:l(l given hi:-.; :1pp1oy:tl to the wliole of this
pl:111. ~npp011<<fhy hi~ authmit,,, ~fot-ltCl' Gerin had 110 rem
l _

--

THE ~f:\'_-\STEUY OF P_-\UI S.-SERIES OF TRULS

J!)!)

nf any othe1 ol>:-:tacle. ~lie ,,-ell kne"- tliat. in :SlJl:e of the

pain cau:"ecl tn Jfother de Jfatel for this ne"- sacrifice. her
g:rea t Yirtne \Yon 1cl not penni t her to iefnse i t a b~ol u tel:.
And thi:' "'<l:': \Yh:n nctually happeuecl. The humble Founclre:;o;s 1e;'i:':tl'<_l. 1nc1te:-:ted. pleacled. but "-as umdlling to comp1orni~e the re1mrntion of the Sn11eriore:'s b: cornplaining: to
externs of the sacrifice she cleterminecl to impose upnn her.
Jfother Gerin. \Yith the pertinacit: "-hich we haYe seen iu
her. pnrsuecl and attainecl her end. ~ister Frances Grader
hac1 to lea Y ~ L:-ons. and the g:oocl :Jiother. who had reserYecl
for the endowmen t of the corn-ent of Roanne the vroperties
'dlich she ownecl in that cit:-. con:'-:entec1 to assign them to
the destination anangec1 b:- .Jiother Ci-e1in. in order thus to
g:h--e he1 dear :"ecretar:. from whorn she hac1 to be separatecl.
a token of he1 affeetion and gratitude for her faithfnl
.attachment and de\otecl serdces.
The fan1r of taking: the place of the poor e:s::ile at the sicle
of the :Jiothe1 Fonndress. fell. as had been ag:reecl u1wn. to
the 1ot of ~ister .Jeanne of .Jesus de Bl:. who felt an e:s::treme joy in thi:'-: priYilege. but was cautions not to let this
jo:- appeai for fear of making: herself snSJJected b: the ~u
perioress and of tlrns losing: all pO-\Yer to im1noye the situation. Therefore. for sorne tirne her presence. insteacl of being a snurce of consolation for the good :Jlother. became a
new cau:"e of pain. :Jiother de Bly- seernecl to ha\e been
postecl near her to watch her. and it \\as hard to think that
that daug:hte1 "-ho "-a:" ~o clear to her arnong: all. \\hom from
the age of ~e,-en the Founchess hacl cherishecl with her care
and motherJ:- tenderne:'s and had res cued frorn the jaws of
rleath. ;:rnd made her foi so lon~: a time lier conficlante. coulcl
take the part of a sp:- upon her. Happi1y- benYeen these two
hearts such straine<l ielarinns coulcl not last long:. and soon
the nue muti,es of that ~eeming coldness came to lig:ht.
:\f other de Bfl:- he1self relates: "Then our "-onhy- )fother.
who has been l.1llel1. \Yi th goocl reason. the Do L'e 1c itlwut gall_.
embracecl me :-;a:-ing \dth a goodness that sn1passes all e:s::JH"es~ion : :JI y da ngh ter. I pardon you "-i th all m> heart for
all yon haYe clone ag:ninst me heretofore from \\hatsoe,e.:r

500

LIFE OF .JEA:\'XE

CHEZ~\UD

DE ::.\IA'rEL

moti 're, au d 1 })Jess God for you l' l'e tu ni. I have often prayed
and wept in His p1esenee to obtain this from His infinite
goodness. Let ns otfe1 onrsclves to Him to do all He wills
in the fntnl'e, nIHl nsk of l1 im the g1aee to be worthy victims of His love.' '' 1
'J1he joy nt finding th; cherished danghter ~o hwing and
devoted, poured some balm on the 1wofonnd sonows of the
saintly ~lother, and he1 hemt, "'hich each day became more
pme and Godlike by the fire of trials, ponred itself ont in
wol'(ls so glmYing and heaven1y that her happy confidante
hecame totally inftamed with them. But, for that great son]
"'"hich the Lord was keeping in the c1ncible in which the
g;reatest saints al'e purified, this consolation lasted only n
sh01t time. Afflidion, pain and angnhd1 were her habitnal
stnte .
.:\Iothe1 de )fatel reveale(l those sorrows to her dem
danghter, "'l10se tende1 love multiplied deviees to mitigate
the snfferings amid which God \villed to give no comfol't.
At times Jf othe1 de Bly tried to modern te the bitterness of
ihe saintly ~lothe1's soul by singing in her beantiful voite.
some of the hymns whil'h forme1ly the venera hle Mother had
loved to hear repeated hy lier danghtel'. At other times, by
spiritual or playfnl \YO~ds, she fried to divert her mind
from the distressing thoughts with which she saw her to1tured. But the gTorns which escapcd from lier oppressed
hemt always showed the nseles:-me~s of these eff01ts. Again
in the hope that pe1haps Onr Lonl wonld make her find the
wo]'(ls that wonld he capable of eonsoling her, )[othe1 de
Bly wonld ask he1 to open at hazard the book of the fmitation uf Christ, and wonld 1ea<l lH_l1 the ehapter tlrn~ fonnd,
watchin; the effect 1nodneed npon he1-. Bnt in ~p~tc of all,
the pom )lothe1 iemained hmied i11 sad11e~~. One day, ohS<-}ni11g ihc ~cri1ti11izh1g look of lier d;rn;htcl' ~hc ~aid to
hc1: "' .. \la~, T haye dePp down iI1 rny son] 1eadi11gs Ye1y diff'e1put f1om ihosc whid1 yon mc rnnkin; to me. 'rheir letfp1~ a1c i1iyisihle fo the cyes of t-11c ho<ly, hnt they :ne felt by
the hPnl't in a n~a1rner t-hat ca1moi be cxplaiHe<l. God alom:
ll\lnn11~ c 1 ipt

M e moir of Moth (' r <l e Bly , Pa1t If. ch. XIV.

'l'HE ::'\lONAS'L'ERY OF PARIS.-SERIES OF TRIALS

501

eau comprehend these letters and what I am suffering. night

and day. I am praying to Him to pardon my danghters for
their obstinacy in in~dsting on making that confract in terms
which I opposed. But I do not see that He is hearing my
prayers for them. He shows me only misfortunes and the
destrnttion of this house. W'"ith this Yision before me, l
eannot cease weeping over it as J esus Christ did over the
city of J ernsalem. " 1
~fother de Bly tried to reassnre her and make her believe that, after the benefits that she had lately conferred
upon the monnstery in which so many influential persons
took deep interest, it could not fail to become very ftourishing. But she replied: "'l wonld haYe no doubt abont this
result, if they had not formally opposed the designs of God
hy persistiug in doing violence to me. Oh! if they had only
been willing to believe me, God Yrould be satisfie9- and all
would be well.'' 2 After having related these thiugs, Mother
de Bly adds: "'\Ye nmY knmv too well that "'hat she saicl
was trne. l never read the Gospel of the ninth Runday after Pentecost which tells of the tears ~Tesus shed over J erusalem while H 'e was predicting its future 'voes, without recalling, with renewed bitterness of soul, the warnings "'hich
our worthy :Mother gave us, not once but countless times,
about the loss of our honse of Paris, and to which they gave
no more heed than did the inhabitants of that desolated city
to the words of the King of Prophet~. " 3
Sister Jeanne of J esus, after exhausting all means to divert the mind of the venerable Foundress) wonld still hear
her sen ding forth to her crucified J esus, sighs and groans
like the followiug: '"Oh, what a Sponse of blood Yon are to
me indeed: \Yhy did You make me the ~fother of this Order
when, with Your eternal knowledge, Yon were aware that I
had not the virtue for this mission, and that l am the most
imperfect and feeble of all Yom creatnres'? Dear Lord, be
my strength, see what I am endnring. Heaven which forlManuscript Memoir of Mother de Bly, Part If. ch. XIV .
2lhidem.
3lbidem.

502

LIFE OF .JEAXXE

DE )IATEL

~eut

dmn1 rnilk an ltoney to rne in snch abnndance is

hecome b1onze like the hemts of my daughtel's.', 1

111e1ly
HOW

CIIEZ~\IlD

Tlie powe!'less <onNoler wonld then discontinue all words

an<l giYe he1se1f np to gmdng at that :. Mother overwhelmed
with sonmys; she felt stnpefied like the comforters of .Job.
But she says: ""l"'here was this difference that I neYer had
an,v thonght ~neh as theirs, tlrnt she w'"as smitten for any
fnnH whieh she had committed, in the distress to "'hich I
:-:aw'" her rednced. It seemed to me that I had no Jess reason
than they had to say to myself: 'Is this, indeed, the same
per~on who some yenrs ago was so highly esteemed in Pm~is
and so sought nfter, consnlted and obeyed like an 01acle, by
men of the greatest eminence, and "'ho Yfas so regal'ded and
Yenernted even b~' the great oues of the Royal Conrt that
tltey eonsidel'ed it an honor to know her, and who "'as so respeeted and loYed by ber mvn danghters tlrnt they all gladly
give her thefr bliud ohedience ! 'ro-day she bas lost none of
her g1 ent JH'lHlenee and nobility of mind, but on the conti-nry , besides the experience of many yems, she lias added
to the treasnl'~' of her merits and gl'nees. 'fi1en how is it pos~ib]e i hnt from the actions of a single individual, in whom
there nppems no exaordinary talent, this incomparable
Mother is treated ns if she were incapable of performinp; thr
functiorn;; of the office which she holds as Foundress of thr
Order, and when, from the chair in which she remnins seated
fi-om morning to night without daring to take cogniznuce of
the nffairs of her monastery, she utiers orncles of trnth, and
rnakes known to ns the fntnre eyi]s whieh Divine ~J nstice is
p1epming for u~, no attention is pnid to ihem or to the salntmy irn;-;trnctions which she is there giYing fm the p;ood of
onl'sclveR nnd others ?' .A.Jter nll these 1efiections I c1ied
ont: '::\Iy God, whnt n reyo]ntion ! "Tonld it not be possible
to mi tig~tte it r " 2
T11 hp1 111i11<l she ran o\e1 tliP ci1TlP of Mothe1 de l\fateFs
frie1Hls: 1lie Cl1ml<'elI01 R>g'n PI', who ha<l shown lier ~mch
ki]l(l11e~f-' ~ ~Inrshal <le ln Mothe's wif'e. who "'as so inflnen1Manu~cript
2 fbi<lf>m.

l\lemnir of Mnthcl' <1e nly , P<1rt TT, c h. XIV.

THE ::.\IOXASTElff OF PAnIS.-SEJlIES 011' TUIALS

503

tial nt the Court and "Tote her letters full of Ye11e1atio11;

)fonsign01 de Condom. who held her in such high esteem;
and so mnny other pe1sonages. :Jlother de Bly asked herself if it would be }Jossible for tliem to learu of the pe1secution their friend was suffel"ing and not procure he1 the desired satisfaction "ith regmd to the miserable confract
"hich was the cause of so mnny eYils. She took tbe resolution to haYe them informed. but the g1eat difficult~ was to
obtain the consent of the good :Jlother. Yet she resolyed to
gain it. One clny, when the saintly Foundiess a}Jpeared to
be a prey to the keenest sorrmY, she sa id to her: ")Jother, T
can no longer benr to see yon in this state: I am going to
1wYe the Cbancello1 infonued, so that he may put things in
order." "~Iy dnughter: she ievlied in a tone of nuthmity
whieh she rmely nsed~ "I forbicl you to do so. and I tell ~on
that you would hnYe g1ayely displeased me, if ~on hnd done
this withont my knowledge. :Jly daug;hter Gr<ffier wcJUld
baye clone this from the fil'~t dnys of our anfra] he1e. if I
had not 1neyented he1: 1
For the time bei11g. this exp1ess comrnnnd impo:sed on
:Jfother de Bly a silence whi_ch her compassion conld not
keep long. But eaeh one of ber repeated petitions lrnd no
success, except to manifest still more all the treasnres of
sanctity stored in the heait of thn t ,enera ble :Jiother. wl10111
profound iesvect foi the designs of Go upon her, her Ion
for her daughters, mHl the desire to imitate the Incarnate
"~ ord, neYer pe~mitted her to rescne he1se]f from the paiufnl
11w1tyrdom in whieh her life "as being consHme.d. ")Iy
da11ghte1," she said to ~Iother de B1y, r wil1 take g1eat
cme not to adopt yonr sn~;g;estions. :JI.' lwnr of snffe1ing
has corne~ I mnst be i11t011t only on makiug, good n~e of it
and on Jlerseye1ing in th<:> flelity "hieh Cod asks of me.
This is why T persi:d in <:>11joiuii1g silence 11po11 yon. ~\l
tlwngh yon hem me snyi ng i h nt- T sntfo1 m ne lt. yon m n st not
tnke my w01d~ ns n complniut of the ills that T feel p0rsmrnl1~-. or as a desi1e to he deliYered from them . Xo. my dnnglt :t)Ianuscript ::\l e moir of ?IIoth e r cl e Uly , Part 11. c h. XI\'.

504

LIFID Ol1' .J IDAN~E CHEZ.AUD DE l\IATEL

te1, it is for nll of yon that I lament rather than for myself
who haYe not long' to lfre." 1
On anQther oecasiou, when ~lother de Bly tried to make
her realize the adym1tnges of the plan of deliYerance which
was offered, she replied: ""l gnrnt these reasons are good
aecording to the feelings of natme and the policy of the
w01ld. But it is uot by th; spfrit that I shape my conr:-:e.
f am the enemy of eYerythiug that conld make a ]).Oise and
gain me fame. Yonr vlan \YOnld rnake a great noise and
Jning disgrace on the Rnperio1ess. l am not capable of
eausing this to any one. I am not ignorant of my power ~o
do those things, but I cannot re~olYe to make a public comI)laint against my own danghte1s, because, by asking the interYention of the great one~ of the earth, 1 wonld thereby be
Iaboring to withdra'y rnyself from the path in which God
holds me.'' 2
'As I continned,,, adds ~lother de Bly, 'to insist in ordei to 1)er~uade he1 to_ lay aside those considerations; she
~aid to me in the finn m1d animated toue of a zealons saint:
'I see well that the pity yon tnke on my past and present snfferings7 urges you to thns insist, and that T distress you by
not helping in what yon think T onght to do. B11t console
yomself by conside1i11g that ihe l n('mnnte "Tord, at the
tirne of His passion, was nnwilling to do anything to deli,ei
Himseif from the hands of those who we1e pe1seenting Him.
Ile }H'efened to pass for the most abn11do11ed and feeble of
:lll men, nJthongh He wa:-; OnrnipoteHce ltself, rathe1 than
go ap;nin~t the wiJI of Hi~ Fnther. 'rhe fidelity which l owe
Hirn in rny p1e:-;ent ~tate, and the lm'e whieh He give:-; me for
my <la 11gh 1el~. <lo 11 ot perrn i t 11 ie to n ('(e1>t th e~e offers.' " 0
lu spite of ihe:-;e gPHe1011s oppoRitionR of tlH) hllmble
l\I ot he1, :-;orne frie]}(lly t)ye:-\ hegan to ~ce tluongh 11<_)1 111y~te1i011N Rihrntion. 'rhenee 01e1e ll.o:-\e lgni11~t hPI' co11~im1cy. n
HP\\' kind of 1t t1<'k f10111 whid1 :-\he N<'Ol'ed H<lrnilable \'t'to
l'i()~. "'011 NPV()1:tl Ol'<'l:-\ollN," 1e<01l~ ~Iothe1 de B(>ly, '"I wa~
n wit11e~N wht)11 frie1Hl~ of 0111 worthy ~fothe1 t'HillC fo ~ee
11\1anu~ c ript

:.! lhi<l e m .
::i bid e rn .

l\l<moir of l\lotll e r de Hly, l'a1t li , ch. XV.

THE :~\IOX ..\STEP.Y OF P ..HUS.-SEP.IES OF TP.I.ALS

505

ber and said that the>T hacl learned from their acquaintanees
that she had cause to be clissatdiecl 'Yith her religions. and
espetially 'Yith the ~nverio1ess of her monastery of Pnri:-i.
They asked her why ~he hacl not filecl complaint against
them, or why ~he had not nt least ~ent them haek t o the
places from whieh they had eome. Our 'Yorthy ~Ioth e r seeing that they kne"T what ,yas taking JJlace. could not lY Oicl
acknowledging the pain she felt on a ecount of the t erms of
the contl'nct which she disapproYed. and 'Y11ich. as she saicl.
being unjnst to the monastery and to herself, " ould be the
cause of great misfortune~ but thnt she did not 'Yish to do
anything against her 'Yho 'n1s the cause of her sufferings. " 1
One day, Father de ln Bane of the Rociety of J esns came
to adYise her to go and cast her~elf at the feet of the Chancellor, to obtain throngh him p1otection and justice. He
Yen offered to take he1 to him. in the caniag:e in "hich he
had corne. Jiother de Bly "as p1esent at t he inter-dew.
Rhe thought that this leained ieligion:-; " ould at last trinmph
oYer the reasons " hid1 the goocl )fothl"'s charit>- had oplJosed to eYery measme in her fayor ~ she felt her heart swell
with joy and hope. and tried to conYince the saintly :Jiother
that it was Our Lord 'Yho had proYided this opportunity,
because, " Tithout doubt. the hour had struck in "Thich He
'Yished to put an end to her ti-ials. The Foundress replied:
:xo, no, my daughter. I am not at the end of my sufferings." 2
Then, as the Father . pe1sisted in n1ging; her, she tmned to
him saying that she wished to speak to him alone. \Yhen he
had heard her, he snbmitted and bmYed dmn1 before that superlrnman Yirtne, leaYing the :Jlother free to follmY what he
recognized to be an eminent atti-action of the spirit of God.
This struggle from "hich the Fonnchess had corne ont
Yictorious, had been a hnrd one, but it was nothing in eomparison 'Yith that 'Yhich soon follmYed. In ~pite of all her
precantions, the report of her ~nfferings had reached the
higher eircle~, and nmY it wns the Chaneellors ,Yife who
most nnexpectedly presented herself a t the monastery door
1-:.\Ianuscript -:.\Iemoir o f -:.\Ioth e r d e Bly, P a rt II . ch. XY .

~ Ibidem .

50G

LIFE OF

JEAN~E

CHEZARD DE J\IATEL

arn1 dcmm1ded an amlience with )Jother de l\fatel. At this,

~fother Gc1i11 waR exceedingly ddmhed.
Rhe wonld luwe
liked to b1i11g ihc 110hle viRitor i11to the intel'im of the monnRte1y , lea(l hl1 to the Fonnd1cRR, ~11Hl hc 1nesent at tlteir i11tc1yiew. Hut Rhc WHS fmced to ehange this ])ln11. rrhe
Clwuccllol''~ wjfe desfred to see )Jother de ~Intel alone and
nt the gTille. ~he imrnedintely heg:nn by saying to her:
'Rmc1,end )fothe1, l am Ye1y angry with yon for not letting
me knm\ how yon ;u-e beiug treated here. \Yhy is it that
yon do uot say a wonl abont it to yom friends '? I belieYed
tlrnt yon lwd as nrnch contideuee in the Lord Chancellor ns
wc both Jrn.ye in you, but from yom 1cticcncc I nmY sec tluit
you do uot trust ns enongh, and I lune ('Orne to complain of
this to yon and to Rcc what the fronl>le is about."
:\Ia.dnme, nothi11g el se lmt snffel'ing as Go(f wills it,' ' ieplied
the worthy l\Iothcr.
""'l'liat iR all iight, :\lother, but
yon mnst tell me 11101c about yom snffering, of which I Jrn.,e
uot been snificiently iul'onned. ' ' 1
rrlte generons )lothcr l>eing thn~ 1'01ced to S])enk, did it
" ' ith nll possil>le mode1ati011 ~ ihe ouly fm01 that shc nsked
of he1 Yisitor, "ho made sneh kiml offcrs of her p\Yerfn l
nid, was tlint shc \\'Onld uo_t romrnnuieate to the Chancellor
what the l\lother had l>cen ohlige to tell her. .After mauy
objections i\ln(lclme Rl>gnier tiunlly made this promise.
:\lother de B(>ly \'el'Y jndicionsly obSCl'\'eS: wrhis step
was as ditficnlt to take as it was :;dippcry. the temptation
not to take i t bei ng- \'ery sn bile. On r )fother 11rnst luwe l>een
sncc01ed by a 1110:-.:t special g1nce not io sneenmh. If it is
hnnl to be silent wheu ihc1e me jn:-.:t cnnseN of eomplnint.
and if it is siill hanle1 io pp1:-.:is1 in sile11ee when we are snrc
tha t by snyi11g a "md " ' C \Yill l>e reNened from pe1secntio11,
the1 . e is still g1paie1 11H1it in lejecting help offer<!d at the
ye1y moment when we mc O\'e1whelrned with afflictio11s from
e're1-.y s ide. Tltc1ef<np, 1 e011dn<h f1om this thnt om w01fy
~foth e r iTi11mphP mmvclom-ily O\'c1 ltc1 sclf'-l(WC. hy ihc lm'c
which RhP Ji:ul fm hc1 hmd l'OH<l lJH} f01 he1 <fanghte1s." 2
1Ma1111 sc ript M e moir of .l\Iotll e r <l e B ly, Part II , cil. XV.
'.! JJ>i<lP Jn.

THE )I(l~A. :S TEI!Y CF PA.Rl :;_: ,-:SERIE :S (>F TRIA.L :S

307

~l other de B l: \\a:S the a :S:-:iduon:S "ime:S:;_: of the:Se marYelou=-: uinmph:S o grace o'er nanH"e. and \\(>nld h[n--e wi:;:hed
that their intirnate hiqrn: might become. a p1wtion of the
heI"irn ze "hich the F onn d r e~:S might be11ueath t her :Spiritual Jf>:Ste1ir;. I n trnth. "hat uea:SUI' ' nf encouragement
and editlcaricm v.-onld haYe been '!Ort>J np in the rt-cital 1_1f
the ma~nanimou :S effort' and p>=\\el"fnl aic:l:S a r the ("( :-:t .-.f
,,-hich .;.; h e \\On tho :Se admirable Yictorie:S : E 'er: opporn1nit> "a:S carefull: :Seized rn per :S u~1lle the :S aintly- ~fotht-r F
narr;:ne thern. F.-,r e:s::arnple. "hen :She "i-,nld pt-nnit her
pion:S daughter to catch a g1imp:Se of :S)me of the dh10 :-: itfon ~
of her :Sfnl or :;: .-1me of her cornrnunicati(>ll' "ith G-1)d. thE' latt er \\11uld :-: ollletime:-: pla(e a pen in her hand and be:Seech her
to \\l"ite thern do\\ll. but it \\ :S all in 'ain. T he ~I c 1 ther
,n,uld :S ay-: I cannot. my- ... ight ha:-- becorne :o- f "eak and rn;-:?l'irit i :-: :SO or1pre:-::Sed with nuble:-: tlrnt I aru Il(>\\ rlt for
111:itbing t-:s:cept :'- nffering-.":

:Jluther de B fl:r- then "~uml; repre:-: entE'd t) her the l >:S:S

:She intiined on her d aughter:S . by- depridnz them of :S o many
e:s:ample :-: and light'. and cf greater ad,anrn~e :S ierhap . .:
than tho :-: e deriYe d r(>lll the perio d of her life which her direC"F>r:S had f>bliged her to "rite. But thi:S wa :S al"ay:S un:Succe:S:Sful. ~ he re11lied to th :-' objection :-: : ~l y- danghter .
th cmmunication ~ with "hi(h it ph:a , E:' d G-od to honor me.
\\ere secret g:race ~ kno\\n onI:-- to Him~ elf and to tho se \\h
directed me. H e wi ~ he d me to write them. I clid ~ o to bey
H im in their rer ~ on s . B ut the (1ppo :Sitin' "--hich H e permit ~ at p r 'ent. are e:s::terior and n ~ ibl grc f" . cn:S equentl:
there i ~ li(> need (1f ru: rnentioning them in "riting, "'::
I n fact . the \\C>rth:r- ~Iother "rote nothing about her rlnal
trial :S. Ten :ear:' before her death . .;.; he (lo , ed her antobi_!"ravhy- "ith the~ e wo1 d ~ : .. ~c: , t hadn~ m: ~ ecretm:- . I can
,fo \tlefe ro m:r-:'- elf (1n1:-r- tc1 \\Iite a linle. hec-au ~ e \\l'iting
a~~~T<.1\llt e:S the ailment ,-,f one f rn:-- e:e . .: . 1 >ear TJ\-. thi:-: h
wb.,-- I :-;end Y111n "--1,1d:-: bad-\: t Y1_11u.. : elf. whi le c:c:111j nrin z
y, >U l 1;r Yc:inr gi-1c:1Jue ... :S tha t the: ma: n-t 1enn-n te:> Y1u .
l)fan"G_ ~ crbt

::I bidem.

)I-=rr.::.oir ( :

)fo:~:-::r

d.:- BC-l'.-. P.:--:i:: IL ch. XYII

508

LlFE 011'

.JE ~\NXE

CHEZ.AUD DE l\IATEL

without lrnving wronght all that Yonr charity desirei-; of me.

Yom thonghtR me as far from tho~e of men as Heaven from
emth. 1 Rorntc cadi rlcsuw,,. et 1111bcs pl11ant f118tum. Aperiatur terra et grn11inrt saloutorr111. nrop down dew, ye
heave1rn, from above, and let the l'londs rain the .Just Oue.
Let the emth be opened and hnd forth the Savior." 2
'rl1e ~Iernoirs of ~Iother de Bly, conoborated by letters
of her contempormies, me the only sonrceR from which we
me now able to draw. But, hy her pages so full of love and
light, the venerable mmalist, hm; tried, as far as this is possible, to make up for those which she had not the consolation
of inducing the saintly ~Iother to w1ite.
Yery different at that time were the preoccnpations of
:.1\Iother Gerin who was thinking onJy of makillg use of the
advantages which she had ~o nnfortnnately gained. She
bnilt a new steeple in whfrh she installed three immense
he11s, of which l\lr. de Rossignol and the nnchess of RaintSimon were the godfather and godmother. ,. '.-\ n organ waR
plaeed in the choir to accompany the chant of the office.
Rhe :-;olemni:ed with pump the octave of the feast of the Annnnciation~ dmin; which the B1e~sed ~ac1mnent l'emained
exposed m1d ora tors of renown every day exto1led the grandenrs of that mystery. 'rl1e other :-;olenmities were celel)]ated with no less brilliancy, and this atti-acted a great concomse to the chmch of the monaste1y.
'I'he inftuential }J.e1s01iages who took inte1est in the work
of ~lothe1 dP 1\Iatel, 1ejoi('ed at thi~ p1ospe1ity and songht
to eoHtrilrn te to it by p1ocmi11g good snbjects and m1meron~
pnpils. Jt seemcd that the snccess dreamed of lJy ~fothe1
Ge1i11 was on th e poiHt of crmYnii1g her effmts. Bnt God
was thcn waitin; f01 he1, and r-;hc was BOW going to reap the
f111its of' he1 m1Np<~nkahle ])]'O<'eetlillgs ngninst the sai11tly
~rothc1.
~(~\'(~tHl p<~l'SOllS

of' cliNf-iudioll ,

addl'PSSl'Cl
tlie1nseln~s t-o he1, lrnt to the Fo1111d1ess, f'01 the admissio11 of
so111e yonug gfrli-; of' the highe1 llohility, the R11pe1i01es~ ab1, \11tograpl1ic Lif e. c li. C L.X XVIII.
:! Jsa ia s. XLV , 8.

llOt

hlYllg'

THE ~l~~STERY OF P~RIS.-SERIES OF TRHLS

509

solutely refused to rel'ei'e thern. The families of these po =-- tulanB took offense as the: "-ere of a clas:-: meist deser,ing of
consicleratfon. One of the:-:e po:":tulant:' "a=' a relatfre of :Jlr.
de Larnnignt:1n. first P1e:'ident of the Parl iarnent nf Pari~.
TYco others \\ere related tt:1 :Jfo.r:'hah .-if F1ance. The attin1cle 11f :Jfothe1 (-i-erin Lansed :'Orne e::s::c-itement. and wa'
blamed: it opened the e)es e\en of th(1~e "-h 1) had :'hown
themseh-e:": to be her greate-.:t adrnirers and had m[\de opp(1si
tion before the Prior (1f ~ aint-C-i-errnain tn her being :'ent
back to Grenoble. a t the e::s::pirarion of her tir:'! terrn of three
year:'. They 11(1\\- regrenecl what the.' had d(llle. and. to pre,-e11t it:' cuseqne11ce:'. the.' deterrninecl 011 making her renu11
to t1ie honse ('f her profe:-::-:i1)n a t the end of her se c on c1 terrn
which \\as f1w near. The Snpe1it:irs aC'qniesced as it was
necessary they :'honld do so. But with :Jfo ther Gerin':' chara.cter she would Ut:1t abandn11 to the tlrst C(1rner a~ ~uperit:>r
:'S. the crffw11ing (1f the 1)lan:' Ydlich she had pmsued "-ith
snch tenaciry and ''hich Ut:,"- al-'I'e~ned t11 he :;:1) clise F> :'UCeess. She the1efore ,,-orked foi the electfr111 of Re,-erend
:Jfother 1f the ~\_ssnmptic1n de ~ anre1. pr(1fe:":'d and ~npel'i
ore.'" of the mt111astery if Gre11t1hle. t_1\e1 "-hom she hoped t11
h(1lc1 :'W<J.' t(1 make her acfopt and C(1ntinne her O\\-n 1-'lan:'.
The ca11dic1a te "horn :'he prop(1:'ed \\:' \Hirth.' of respect.
The only thing that e1rnld i11svfre fears "ith regaid to her.
\\a:' that she "as prefened by ~fother Ger i11. H(1\\e,er thi:'
\\-a~ tlhregarcled. for the per~1mal merit of thi:' religion~ \\a:'
"-ell knnwn. Ber father. the tlrst P1esic1ent of the ('nuncil of
Pig11ert11. had }Jlai-ed her as a bnarder in the C"on,ent (1f
Gre11oble. immedia te ly after its fonnda tion. and. al thongh
:'he "-a=' th en nn 1.' 11i11e .'ems of age. she :'C11lll fe 1t an arc1en t
cle:'ire of con~ecrating her:'elf to the :'er,fre of the Incarnate
\\t1rcl. The ~n11e1iore:':' ~-ielcled to her urgent petitit:ins. perrnined her W> take the h;.iit nf the Little ~ i:'ters of the Chilt1
.T e:-:u:-: "-hkh. at the <l:!e t>f tifteen. :":he 11l1mined leaYe to e~
cltange for tha t ,,f a nm-ite. ~ he g<ffe he!":'elf with q1ch a1do1 and :'eriowme:-::-: to the ac11u-ing c1f the religions dnue:--.
that dnring her nm-itiate ~he cnulcl be repri:n-ecl only for e::s:ce:-:...:e:-: of fe 1Tt 11-. Be:-:i des rh e a nste1i tie:-: of nile. ~e,-era 1

510

LIF'E OU' JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\lA'l'EL

time:--: a 'veek she wore n hard hair-shirt an girded her deliente body with an iron ehain mmed 'vith sharp points. 8he
prolonged he1 disciplines to half an hour at a time nnd often
te1minatecl them only when obligecl hy obedience.
W'thin a few yems after her profession, she wns cnllecl
by the conflenee of the commnnity to imp01tant otfiees.
Rhe was macle Ilmsar and afte1warcls ~Usfress of ~ ovices.
Y\'"hen she \vas elected Rnpel"o1ess of the m01rnste1y of Paris~
she had jnst completecl hYo te1ms of three yems each, as Snperioress of the monastcry of GI'enoble. Her vfrtnes and talents were equal to the tnsk enfrnstcd to her, and she would,
withont donbt, lrnve aecomplishecl it in a way to iepair the
blnnders of :\lothe1 Ge1in, if the latter before clepmting had
not unfortuuatel~,. labo1ed to 1fuse he1 own views into her
succcssor. However, at firist her zeal nnd right intentions
def'ended her against these influences. Her veneration for
Mother de :\latel and the sern~e of the dcference duc he1,
eaused :\lother de Ranrel to ask her aclYice and to seek
menus of satisfying her. Rhe l'eopened the door of the monaste1-y to Sister. P1:m('es Gravie1, whose ieturn hnd been
begg:ed by the gond )!other (lming h\'"O yenrs, miel was now a
gl'ent consolation to her heart.
This ffrst step in the wny of ieparntion imrnediately
ch-cw down the blessings of IIe:wen on the new Supe1ioress.
J\Iother Ge1in, dul'ing the six years of her admhlistration,
hn macle only one professed, lrnt h1 a shol't whne )lother de
R<rn1el gave the ha~it to free novices~ admitted a fonrth to
1nofesRi011, and 1ceeiYed a nm11be1 of' po~tnlants.
'Phe long ('llflid had raiNecl np !-'O rnmty ohsi-acles ng:1ius1fe leg;iRte1i 11g of 1-lie lett1s patent of' t lw m01wRte1y, tha t
they had bccome s11pe1amrn:1te<l. ~loth01 ncrin hen;;elf' hnd
1akP11 rnen:-;mes 1-o ohfain IH'\\' Olle~. ~110 ha<l eYeu :oue so
fn1 :1s io have ihc Cha]l(_ellm 1pq11PNlP(l io p1ocme thi~ fctv01
1'01 h<'I', hnt- lie iepliP<l t11at h:tYing lP:1111e(l 1h:t1- ~lothc1 (le
l\l:dPl ('Ollld not p1ni:-:P he1 ('.OIHllH'L lu \\'Olll<l (10 nothi11g .
.\lo1hc1 <l<> ~am cl, hcUe1 i11spi1e(l, hPgge<l ihe Foull(lless
kindly 1o iakc <hmgc of ihis irnpo11:tni :tffcti1-. But she replie'l: ""M,y dm1glde1, I do 11ot 1ef'11se 7 lrnL io ~atii-:d'y God

THE ~lOXASTEilY OF PARIS.-SERIES OF TilI.ALS

511

and clraw clown His blessings on the affair, there must be

a deecl correcting the fanlts of the one of \Yhich T
comp1ain, and to the registering' of whith T cmmot consent
since it contains statements tlwt are false." 1
Afte1 the Snperioress lrnd lnomi~ecl tltis, the good )futher on the next day sent the lette1s l'a tent to :Jfr. dn Dnrg,
president of the Parliament of Bordeaux~ 'Yho had corne to
see lier a few clays preYionsly, to confer \Yith her on the
things of God and had made ber hearty offers of his serYices
in caPe of need. The pions mag;istrate was clelighted with the
confidence reposed in him by :Jiothe1 de :Jiatel in entrnst1g
these letters to him; he undertook the responsibility of procnring new ones and h~wing them officia11y approYecl. Bnt
this task had become more difficnlt than formerly. For seYe1al years a nnrnber of conyents and hospitals hacl been estab1ishing themselYes in Paris and its snbnrbs~ \dthont snfficient reYenues for the support of their Sisters. These, in order to snbsist, had to beg or to take in lady-boarde1s, and
the religions spirit and the rnles of the cloister liad snffered
much frorn these expeclients. 'rhe King had been informed of
these abuses and hacl recently dee1ared that he would giYe
no permission for the fonncling of any new commnnity.
Therefore, to obtain letters of establishment was almost an
impossibility at that time. X eyertheless, when :Jir. du Burg
went to the Chancellor and said that :Jiother de :Jiatel begged
him to give her tbis ne\\~ proof of his kind protection, he
was nnwill ing to refuse and p1omised to prepare the letters
and to seize any fayorable opportunity that rnight be inesented of liaYing them signed b,Y His :Jiajesty-. He .obtained
this fayor. -yrhen the public learned of the success of this
measure, its astonishment was great. It was said: "lt is
now eYiclent that :Jiother de l\Iatel must be taking part in the
business affairs of ber house, for all that she undertakes usnally succeeds.'' 2
I t nmY remained to refonn the djsastrons cleed of August
18, 1668, as :Mother de Sanrel had promisecl and hacl been
nrged by ~Iother de Bl~r. For this purpose the Superioress
1

dr~nn1

11\Ianuscript Memoir of :Moth e r de Bly, Part II, c h. XIX.

2Jbic1ern.

512

LIFE OF .TEAXXE CI-IEZAUD DE )f.ATEL

Wl'ote to the Pri01 of 8aint-Ge1main, saying that she desil'ed

to ~peak with .him as soo11 as possible. 'l'he latter Re11t his
Ne<.Tetmy, Dom A 1:-.;e11 ius, to i11qn i l'e a hou t the ma tte1 of the
1eq11ested inte1Tiew. But, ala~, nt that el'ndal rnorneut the
N]Wdel' of l\Iother Oerin passed befol'e the eyes of l\Iother de
~amel and made he1 ]ose hemt. ~he said to lierself thnt she
-was now going to disobl ige the fol'mer Ru perimess and d1a w
dmn1 upon he1 own hend blame from the parties that had
snpported her in this nffni1. T'hel'efore, after haYi11g made a
"eak reply to the objections of Dom Arsenim~, she agreed
"ith him that the precedi11g ~upel'ioress must haYe done
what was best, a11d tlrnt it waN safer to le~we the affair in the
state 1 which she had found it, and that to satisfy the Foundress she must be told that the Father Prior had no time for
this business and that it must he put off for the present.
""Hnman iesped," says )lothe1 de Bly sorrowfnlly, and
,ain fears frnll,v p1eyniled agninst justice and uth." 1
~\las, at that same time the fou11tai11s of diyi11e men_
y for
the poor rnmrnstel'y had been d1ied up. And, i11 fad, from
that moment the p1ndence and wisdom which fol'me1l;\ distingnished ~lother de ~amel, seerned to ltaYe dePerted he1.
P1eside11t dn nnrg, afte1 haYing ol>tained letteis stating
the sn 1ieramnrntiou of the letters patent, was wol'ki ng zen 1onNl,Y to h:l\'e them iegi ste1ed. He had al ready obta ined a
docnment called a soit-111011trc and had solicited the contlnNion of the affai1 from )fr. dn Hal'1ay. the pl'ocurator ge11~r
al, who had made him hope for this final snccess. Bnt the
f01nwr ;eHtlema11 wa8 then husy ananp;ing his mar1iage
"i th 11 iss <le Ln moignon ; he de,ote n ll hi s spaie moments
to this aff<tir, whieh natmally
<1boye all oth.. interested him
.
e1N, and thnN pnt off, f1om week to weck. the 1cgiNteri11g of
the let~1N.
'rhe Hnpe1i01esN was displeaNe(l with theNc delnys, arnl
<<rnld not eom1Hehend that they "re1e nnayoidahle, in Yiew- of
the <"i1<11rnstnrn.~es. ~he eYen yiclded to the ~olicitati<mR of
oup of :\1 othe1 fip1i n 'N f01nie1 ad viNe1s who wnN <leHl'ons of
1pgni11ing hiN powe1 to meddle in the bm;inesR of the 1110rn1s11\Ianu sC' ript M e moir of l\Iotllcr (l e

B l~.

Part II . c h. XIX.

'l'III~ MO~ .\STEnY 011' P.\nIS.-

s1mrns OF THL\LS

G13

te1y and offe1ed to push those measures wlth rno1e activity.

Hhe gave him a letter anthmiz.1ng him to withdrn"T from thl)
Iumds of M 1'. du Bmg the d<H'nments which had been eonffded to him. 'I'h1s waR doue withont the knowledge of the
Mothe1 Fonnd1ess. 'l'he Pre~ident was hurt at heing <lepriYed of this honor, after he lwd launched the affnir on the
way to SU('Cess. He i mrnedia tel y retnrned all the pa pers,
saying that he 'Yashed llis hauds of the whole affair which he
hnd unde1taken only out of consideration for l\lother de
l\fatel, adding that he foresaw that the impatience of the Ru pe1ioress would cost the monnstery dear.
These p1evisions we1e only too literally justified. The
new agent had neither the inflnenec nor the expel'ence of
the P1esident du Burg. He made 1any efforts and initiated
many measnres, but "'ithont snl'.cess. Sorne months late1,
the Pal'liament of Pari~ issued <l decree forbidding heneefol'wmd, "the 1eeeption of Hll,Y letters of establishment' and also
forbidding all conventR of me11 or "'omen to admit any subject to the noYitiate or the professiou, before haviug laid before the mngistrate dei 1nted foi this purpose, their 01iginal
titles of fomHlation and an <wcomit of the state of theil'
temporal posses~~dons."
'l"he monastery of the I nl'mnate Y\' 01d at that time
counted fom white-veilecl novices and four younp; postulants
clothed with the habit of the Little Sisters of the Ohild
.J esm~~ all vying with one .nnothe1 in their love for the Incarnate 'Yord and in their desire to con secrate themRelves to
Him entirely. With snrpris1ng constancy they re:-.dsted nll
attempts .to constl'ain them to abandon th efr holy vocation.
Their families refused to pay their pensions or supply their
ueeds, but nothing coulcl shake them. For two yea rs they
had withstood these combats "rith the greatest comage, when
the ve1y mm which should have sustained and defended them,
was withdrawn in their hour of need. Mother de Saurel, see1g that ail her effo1tR to ohtain the ratification of the letters
patent of the monaste1y and the authorization to receive
snhjects, had been without avail, lost all hope of ever con1

J Man u~cript

l\'Iern oir of Mother cl e Bly, Part 1 I, c h. XIX.

514

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE :\IA'.rEL

t1i hn ti ng t o the <tchmH.'ln 1eH t or ih e rnonn ~te1y of Pmis, aH d

J ' e~olved to ictmH to lwr eo11YeHt at G1cnohlc to whid1 ~hc
l1ad "been re<tlle<l.
Her dep;ut111e mnid ~nch (l'cumstarn. ~es wns disasous.
1t contirmed th e 1elatiYes of the noYices in their fems for the
fntnre of the m01w~te1y and deei<led them to nse thefr nnthority to oblige those uoyices to leaYe. These separations
"cre heart-lweaking, bn t no one snffered so mnch by them as
)fothcr de l\latel. '"Each depmtme was a sword that pierced
her heart," writes l\lother de Bly. "'To make me understand it, she said to me: r am trnly a ~lother of sorrows !
jfy danghte1, I assure yon that J snffer in my soul as much
as the marty1s suffered in their bodies wh ich were being dismem be1ed.' 'rl1en she " 'onld look on hel' cnlf'i fix and say:
o m.r God, why do Yon wish my eyes to see the desolation
of this bouse which I had keenly apprehendcd. and the retnrn of these, my danghters, to the world from which Yonr
mercifnl goodness had withdrawn them ! near Lord, tnke
them nnder Yonr protection and do not permit them to "be
lost.'" l\Iother de Bly adds that he1 JJ1a.yer was hemd, for
they remained faithful to the practice of Yirtne. 1
Mother de Saurel having departed, it was necessary to
think of some one to replace her. 'rhe yenerable Fonndress
wonld have desired that l\lother 1\Iargaret Gilmlin, whose
p1ndent condncti and eminent sanctity had maintained the
conyent of Ayignou in such feryor and prosperity, wonld
t ome nt this perilons moment and p:oYern the conYent of
Paris. But th e ~ \1chbi~hop considel'ed her ail indispensa"ble
treasme, and the Fonnd1ess obliged Mothcr de Bly to aceept the office of RnJH~ rimess. It reqnired all he'r snbmis~ i Yeness and defe1encc towa1d the Yenera hle Mother to make
he1 how hc1 hend nnde1 this bnrdcn for whieh her 1epng11m1 wns well -1iigh hivin<'ible, althongh she was endowed
with i)]ccions <inalities which made her (apn"ble of nccom pli slling th e dnti es of thnt office "'ith snccess. 'Phe great
fanli or l\fother de B{ly'H lire hnd heen her l'Cfnsal of tlwt
oll in H>f>D, m1d to h:wc l\lother Gc1in installed ill it.
11\J:111 1rner ipt l\ I e m o ir of l\ Joth er d e J>: t- Ir, Part If, c h . XXI.

THE l\IO~AS'l'Elff OF P .ARJS.-SERIES OF TUU.LS

515

N<nY, alas, she is going to reap the bitter fruits of the latte1's doin:s 1 thnt unfortunate honse. Her lrnmility will
not pe1mit her to be ignorant of the primary cause of such
evils and will mnke her confess it with deep emotion in 11ume1ous pnssnges of her recital. rnrns, after having mentioned
her own election, she "Tites: (The reason why God permits
this is doubtless because He hns resolYed to pnnish my past
faults, He wishes onr monastery to perish in my hands and
to be merwhelmed with all kinds of disgrace, to make me do
pennnce and suffer profonnd humiliations all the rest of my
dnys. Jfay His justice and His mercy praise Him etel'nally
for me! . .-\_men:n
The ne" Supel'io1ess fnlly nppreciated the injustice and
the dangers in the deed made on August 18, 1G63, and ber
greatest solicitnde was to liaye it amended. She had it examined by an eminent lawyer whose opinion eonfirmed all
the fears of the saintly Foundress. She then endeavored to
secnre the np1nond of this opinion by the ConlH:ilor Poncet
who had been n witness to the chawiug up of the deecl ~
she begged him to go in person to the Prior of Saint-Germain
and place before him her request and its motfres, and obtain
the amending of the document. H e accepted this mission.
But Dom Ignatius Philibert hnd died some time before, and
bis successor was a complete stranger to the mensures which
were proposed to him. He asked for time to stndy them and,
in order to obtain the necessary information , consulted Dom
Arsenius, the secretary of his predeeessor. rrhe latter had
neYer fully realized the importnnre of the resistnnce of Mothel' de J!ntel and the pel'sistenre of )f othe1 Gerin~ he advised
the Prim to luwe nothing to do with a document "rhich had
iequired strange troubles to obtain. 'Jlhe Pri01 without going mol'e deeply into the que:-;tion took the adYice of Dom Arsenius alHl iefn~e<l to chm1ge "hat had been doue. r:rhis decision was a enn~e of kceu pain to Jiother de Hly. How ofteu had she mged her pre<lece~~01 to procnre this repnration
1

11\I anusl'.ript :\1emoir uf

~lother

cle

Bl~ -,

Part II , ch. XX ,

516

LIF'E OF

JE~\.NNE

CHEZATID DE :\L\.TEL

and had never succeeded. N ow she is in a position to seek it

he1sel f, but her efforts are useless because of the opposition
of him on whom she principally depends.
1'he humility of the pious Superioress came to her aid,
inspiring her with patience and courage. "I thought to myself," she said, "that God was unwilling to make use of me
to repair the evil whieh I lrnd helped to do, and that He had
destined for this work some one else who is more virtuous
than I am. I prayed that at least He would be pleased with
my good will and with the desire which I cherished of contribnting all that would be in my power.m
Although the new Superioress could not give her venerated Mother this consolation, there was another the procuring of which was not less ardently desired by her and for
which she irnmediately began to labo1. M. d'Imonier, one
of her cousins, was at that time secretary to Cardinal de
\'" endrne, then Legate a latcrc of Pope Clement IX. He
had offe1ed her his services, ass1}ring her that she could
connt on the influence and authority of the Cardinal as 'vell
as on that of his secretary. )lotl1er de Bly took advantage
of this offer to ask the authorization of the Roly See for the
venern ble Foundress to make the religions profession whenern1 she wished, without being ohliged to the yem of novitiate reriuired hy canon law. The reqnest was judged to be
1easona b le, for, not only had the worthy l\Iother worn the religions habit nnde1 her secnlnr dress since 164-i. when she
lwd 1eceived it from the hands of the Abbot of Crisy, then
Rupe1ior of the monastery of Paris, but to all the souls who
had 1eeeiYed this hnhit the snp and spirit of the Order had
flowed from her rnatc1nnl hra1t. rl'herefore the favor was
ki1Hlly gnlllte<l by the Apostolic Hee which again declared
thnt l\lothe1 llc l\faie1 wns the 01-i'ginator and Fonndres8 of
i]1p ()Ic)p1 of' th<~ Jncmuaie 'ro1d. 2
.. \s ~oon as l\fot lwr de B{dy g;1i11c{l po~:-:;e~sion of' the Brief
g1;i1di11g ihis l'lY01 HlHl <latcd .luly, 1(;<;8, she hnRtrned to
ll\fo.1111 sc ript l\il('moi1 of' Mull1 e r de B ly, f>art li, ch. XXJ.
2S c <' in ilH' J\ ppC'n<lix . among tll e do c urn<-' llls , Not e G, w!Jkh i~

lrnn s la tion of lhi s Bri e f.

<1

THE : U OX.iSTEiff OF P4UUS.-SERIES O:E' TRULS

517

take it to her good :\Iother, who thanked her tenderly, and

sending up a sigh to HeaYen exclaimed: "l\Iy God, when
will Y our hour corne!"
"By these words and by the tone in which they were uttered she gaye us to understand that, on her side, she had
been eYer ieady to do all that God asked of her, and that, if
up to this moment she had deferred binding herself by the
religions state, this course had been taken only from pure
subrnissiyeness to the diYine orders and not from the desire
to retain her liberty.m
Alas, the hour of anchoring in the haYen had not yet
corne. The ternpest which was to submerge the monastery
"~as about to burst.
1:\Ianusc ript :\Iemoir o f :\Io ther d e Bl y, Part II. c h. XXII.

CH ...\.P'TER XXVII
The Monastery of Paris.-Persecution
lGf)-1670
relie iHtelligent aeti\'ity of ~lothe1 de Bly eml)l'aced
a11 the intcresfa of the monastcry. In its present circnm:stances it 'nu~ 1 Rme Hee<l of the den>tedneRs and protection of al1 it:-; f1ien<lR. She was able to eonciliate thern
to close1 frie1Hlship thnn e''er_ hefore. Not on1y the Chancellor, the L egate, Bishop de Bazas, and President du Burg,
but also Cardhrnl . Antoine, the Uuchess of Orleans, the
P1incess de Conti, the Dnchess de Noailles, Count d'OI'ty,
Conntess d'Haicourt, the )lmchione~s de Royant, the
Ab bot d'A 1gern..\m1, ~fr. arnl ~fadamc de Hm~signoL and
othe1s interested them~elves in the p1ocmiug of the iegistering of the lette1s pnkni- nrn1 th e nbolishing of the prohibition to 1pcein~ snhjeds. The . . \rcltbishop of Paris and
the 1Jinistp1s of Rbte, to whom ihese mimerons }Jersonages eame in mdcr to comme11d the monastery, we1e ~m
p1ised that a c011v<~nt 'd1ith "'f~ not one of those most
wide]~' known i 11 the C'<l pi ta 1, had en 1isted the benevolen t
interest of snth irnme1ons and eminent pe1so11ages.
J n vi l'tne of a frent-y con el uded on Septern ber ~O, lGHS,
the Rnlrnrb of Rnint-Germain had passed from the jnrisdiction of its _A hl>ots to thai of the _.\n h~iRhops of Paris. :l\Ionsignm Hmdoniu de Beaumont de Pl'fixe, who then oc cnpied the R(~e , wn;-; uot pen;;onn11y aequninted with ~Iothel'
de 11ate1 or the ieligions of her rnonnste1y, hnt wm; inti rnatPly <ltqnail1k<l with the lhwhesR de ~oailJe~. rl'he fil~t
time h e v i~ifr<l he1, aller hm"llg' exfa}.1Hled hi:-; jmisdidiou
io th e snlnnb, ~li<> ~li(l io hirn lh:li. iht} chnnh of the Inm1rnl e " rOJ'(l w:1~ ]ip1 liiil<-' pmi~h :rnd ih:1t R11~ was ce1l:1in lh :ll 0()(1 w:1~ w.11 ~<1,T <d i1H 1p, lhnt- llH <livino wo1~ l1ip w:1~ p<1fo1111pd wilh PX:wl11<~~, ih;li tliP omce wrn-.;
<l1n111Pd wil11 1111wlt f'eno1, :rnd t11:1t il' 11(' wi~d1Pd Io oh1igT'
IH'I', 11<' 11111:-;( ~liow hirn~elf' 1':1H>1;1ble Io ih:li 11w11a~ip1y.

THE ".\IOXASTERY OF PAUIS.-PERSF:CUTIOX

519

IIe p1omised lier to iake s11t eial t1l'C of ii. and lie gan~
the same assmances to all the oth( 1s 'Yho iecornmtim1e<1
it to ltim. f'aying t1rni-, siuee it '"as so I?;nhll" and had
the Letter of the King arnl the rneans of snbsistence, it
had nothing to foar. Among all those who ma11ifestecl
zeal for its secnrity, Bishop de Bazas " 'as the most iudefatig1hle. Re not only made it his lmsi11ess to see ve1sonally a11 tho~e on '''hom its fate depended. but he })ersnaclecl seYeral friends nmong his fellm,, Prelates to join
him in tbese efforts~ from eYe1y si de uothing was heard
bnt promises of pr0se1yation and enconragement to h~we
confidence.
Rowe,'e1. when the good 11ews of this snceess "'f;; anno1meed to Jlother de Jiatel, she receiYecl the messengers
with affcdionate :ratitucle, lmt as soon as they had gone
h way, hcr sighs and g1oans iecommenced. 'Yhen ~Iother
de n~Iy exp1essed the pain she fe1t at seeing he1 thns clistre~sed eYen when the affafrs of the en11mrn11ity seemecl
to be on the ioad to p1ospe1ity, ~he "'on1c1 ieply: "Jiy
danghter. a11 these things emrnot mnke me feel glacl, becanse God lets me sec nothing hnt ab.Ys~es. I know not
"'hnt wil] become of this house. beeause the1e has been
ostiuacy in th\Yaitiug the designs of Gocl upon it. " 1
The wol'thy -:\Iother neYer exp1nined the!"e "01ds she
repeatecl so often. Is it }Jresnmptnons fo1 us to belieye
that \Yere it uot fo1 the Yiolenee exe1tec1 npo11 he1 to oblige
hc1 to sign the cli~ashon~ cleed of Angu:--;t 18, 1 (j();J~ she
"'onld fst have esiahlished ber fiftlt mona~te1y af Hnmrne.
and the1e exte1i011y tnken the habit of her th'c1e1-. consoli<lni e and consenate by her presc 11l'e the existence of the
mon astery in the en }Jital, clra "Ting clown npon i t a thonsand
b1e~sings hy the happy co11summatio11 of her sacrifice'?
"ThnteYe1 he the hnth of these snppo~itio11s. this much
is ee1tai11, 1um1e1y, that in spiie of all co11U',Y appenrnmes. the de~o1ati11g miel p1ophetic Yiews of the saint~y
,\lother we1e nlieady l>eing accomplished.
1

1?1fanu~cript

l\Iemoir of ::\Iother d e Bly. Part II. ch. XXIII.

L 1FE OF .TE .\~Xl~ CIIEZ.\UD DE ~IATEL

In spite of all those iecommendations and p1omises,

the letters patent. although having the confirmation of
the King, were never finally registered. All efforts were
paralyzed hy a power which, at first, vrns occnlt and unknmvn, but which was soon unmasked by time; it was none
other than that of t~1e very Superior of the monastery,
Dom Victor Tixier, the new Prim of Saint-Germain. God
had resolved to nse: him as an instrument to chastise the
fanlts eommitte<l against ~fother de Thfatel, and give ber
the sn1)]eme comnmmiatiou uf sandity through incomp<fraLle SOI'l'OWS.
Doubtless the ieade1 will ask how a man, clothed with
the character m1d dignity of Prim and ehmged with the
duty of being the p1otector and father of the monasteiy,
could h~we berome its adversary and destroyer? Alas,
here again was the woi-ldng of one of those profonnd
illusions of a will so blindly resolved to gain its ends
that it was unale to perceive the mnighteousness of the
means.
An Ursuline mm of Chatillon, Madame Christine Lenet.
was so far from practicing the vfrtnes of her pions Institute, that, nnder ber ieligious garb, sym bolic of lrnmility
and self-denial, she hid a heart fi.lied with the vanity and
ambition of a worldling, and eagerly desired to obtain the
position of Superio1ess in the capital. rrlnongh the in
tlnence of ber brothers, who were attached to the House of
Cond, she had otai11ed the office of Prioress of the Benedictine nuns of the :M adeleine. On coming to Paris to
take possession of tlrnt ofee she was rejected l>y the nnn8
who had chosen to govern them a nie of thei1 deceased
Prioresf.:, Madame <l,A11Jouze, who had been b1ought up in
ihei1 honse and belonged to their Onle1. She \Yas imlme<l
with its Rpfrit nnd nliea<ly hn<1 gin}11 ~ignnl inoo~ of
vi1tl1e a1ld al>ility.
rrhe l\1ess1s. Lenet laid theI' ~istc1R case 1Jrfo1e the
Pml in ment, and in<lucc<l the Prior of 8ai11t-Ge1main, their
intimate frien<l and disi.m1t relative, to place lier in one
of the <'Oll\'(lJlis of his jnl'is<liction, whilc shc waited the

THE MONASTERY OF PARIS.-PERSECUTION

521

outeome of the legal procedures. The Father _Prior placed

her in the convent of the Incarnate -nTord. She was much
pleased with this house and tried to insinuate herself into
the good graees of the Sisters. She often repeated that
she was in love with their Order and that, if she lost her
case, she woulrl beg them to give her its habit. "'As her
main pnrpose,'' wl'ites J\lother de Bly, "was to be a Superioress, she ('Ould not hide it under her mask so completely as to prevent us from seeing something of it. "Te
cliscovered in her actions mo1e ambition than devotion,
:mcl this was e11ough to oblige us to get riel of he1 as soon
as it won ld be possible.m
'J'his "m~ no easy matter, because Dom Tixier was bent
on keeping her at the monastery. But the Archbishop considered that it was dangerous to have such a spirit i11
the commnnity any longer and ordered her to l~ave Paris
and return to her own couvent. l\Iadame Lenet, being thus
eonstrainecl to leaYe, took ber grievances to the Prior.
'vho consolecl her and prornised to clefencl her interests.
Instead of letting her depart for Chatillon, he advised
her to enter the Abbey of the Paraclete, so as to be ready
flt the first signal he would give her.
Hmvever, in spite of her many proteeto1s and thefr
earnest solicitations, ~Iaclame Lenet lost her cause, and
the Prior conld think of nothing but procuring her intrusion into the monastery of the Incarnate 'Vord. With
this end in view, he intrigued, in a thonsancl secret ways,
to hinder the iegistering of the letters patent, so that after
the suppression which had been nndertaken, he conld have
the monasteiy converted into a Priory of St. Benedict and
have ~Iadame Lenet made its Snperioress. ''To succeecl
in this undertaking," w1Hes Mother de Bly, 'it can be
said that he played many parts and with many tricks
and expedien.;. He acted towarcls om couvent of Paris,
like one who hnd macle an underground pa~sage to enter
a city which he had attacked in divers way~ and had re~olved to ea1Jture at a11y cost.'' 2 At first he attempted
tMa.nuscript Memoir of l\Iother de Bly, Part II, ch . XXllI ,
2lbic1em, ch. XXV.

522

LIF'E OF

.rn.\X~E

CI-IEZ.\UD DE :\IA'l'EL

to win ove1 )fothe1 (le ~Jatel. He was frnstratiug all the

memm1eN taken hy the monwe1y to !'4ecnre its preserYatiou, m1d, nt the sarne time, he offe1ed to vlace at her se1y-e all h is in fl uenee wi i h the A reh bi shop, the ~li 11 isters
of Rta tt:., Kin: ( ~,tsi mi 1, 1 the Pri 11 ce, ek ., if :-.:he wonld only
tn1st him nnd " helieve that 11e was den,te<l to her more
than to miy one else ou emth.''
In spite of tliescl ;rm1d profpss]011s of friendship the
Fou11d1ess conld 1101- iid herself of some mistrnst \vhich
~yas sooll only too shongly jnstfied. On "Jlnreh 17. 1670~
] )om 'l"ixier cnme to tell her contidentially t1iat the cornrnissio11 e1s depnted foi the vhdtation of co1nre1its wouhl
f.;hol'tly vi:-;ii l1e1s, tlrnt, as \~icar Genernl of the AI'thbishop,
he was to ace01npa11y thelll, aud tlrnt he ('Onld relHler her
gl'eat ~e1yfres if shc " Ton l be willing to fol10\Y the line
of eondnd which he wonld 110w ma1k ont for her. 'l'his
pl an co md sted in h t;1 p1ppmi 11; l f;t 1am ti ou "'hie h she
wonld l)laee i11 hi!'4 hnml!'4 i11 ihe prese11ce of the visitors,
in whieh slie wonl<l p1ote~t i lH she wished to tnke back~ .
ns h e1 ow11, nll ilie lnopel'ty !'4lie hnd given to the monast e1y, i 11 en~e i t we1e sn pp1e~~e<l. Ile otfen~d to dni.ft the
JWOIJosed deed liim~e]f and Nhc nceepted his offer. ~ext
clay, eady ]n the m0111ing, lie scllt hc1 the docmnent by
a R1other of the .A hhey.
l t w as a 11iasi e1pi Ne of <11 m1 i ng. In th is docnme11 t ,
.JJothe1 de :\fai_
l wns io dednre that !'4he had fonnded the
m01inste1.v from he1 own l lO~ ~l;S~ions nnd thnt she pro teste<l thnt. i11 tn!'4e it we1e snpp1esscd, it was ber will
Io re~m11'1 the i10:-::-.:essioll of all tllat she Jw(l <lmrnted to
i L 'J'he <lc}<-'d ~peei fi ed th nt i r th<' ~ \ JTh hi shop won 1d dei gn
to p1t}Sll1ve 1-he n1011 a~tl;1y ~lw won 1(l eonseu t to hi s gi Yi 11g
it- nuy Hnle, m1y ~11pe1i01e~s :nHl miy Hl} li;ion~ tlwt wonld
hP ag1(leah](} 1o h i111~el r. I t is llllll i fpst tlw ( sneh a <l<wn
111<1ii i11sp1l<l<l i11 ihP \nit11 it}eoi'<l "of the Yisihttiou fm 11islted (Jtp J>1i01 wi(IJ <'\'Pl',\' l':t<i]ity f<W ihP PXP<'lllOll ol"
1 .J () IJ 11 cas i rn i r. Ki 11 g- o r l o 1: 1 n d. : t 1> d il'; 1 t l' d 1ti ~ t lJ r o 11 L' i n t 1J e d i et
of \\T: tr s: tw . in 1GG 8.
Il<' r e tired to l 1'r:1n<.'e and recC' \' L'cl (10111 L<rnis
X 1V t l w . \ l 111 l'y of St. - G <.-' r ma in - d es - J> 1 (' s a 11 d t Il e \Il h e ~ of' St. 1\ 1 art in
or .l\'(\'el'H, in wh i f' IJ latter ]J (' cli e cl in lli7 :2.
His l1 c:1rt. i~ in Ull~ A l>IH' Y
'JI' St. -G(rma i n - <I P~ - J 'r( s.

THE .:\1 OX ASTEiff OF

PAUIS. - PERSECUTIO~

the plnn whieh he had at heal't. 'rhc sngnl'.ity of the

Ponrnhess ~aw th1011glt the 11lot nt the 1hst glancc. She
took from the docm11e11 t al l illl t conld serve the iuterests
of he1 mmiastery, nt snppn~ssed its last danse~ and 1womised simply to intify nl1 the donations which she had made
to her mouastery }JIoviclcd the .. \ 1ch i shop <:onsented to
p1ese1ve its existenec.
'Phe Yisitation wliil'.li lwd Leeu mrnomH:ed soon took
place. 'rwo cfay~ ~lit(1 1 the wmniug of the P1ior, as the
~iste1s we1e assemhling for the ~mlemn clwuting of the
Yespe1s of St ..Toseph on the day of the fem;t, the deputies
from the Pal'liarnent aud the _A rthhishop1ic presented
thernsc1ves at the dom of the rnonastery and demanded
thnt it he opened to tliem. Afte1 lwvi11g ndored the Hlessed
Sanament which was ex11<)f'ed npon the alfar, they read
. the document ennnnissiouing them aud hegan the exmnination of the title-deeds and the contlH_; of the foundation. 2\Iother de ]fa tel handed the Pl'io1 the protest which
she had p1epared as lie had instrncted hl 1 to do. At first
he pretended to be ill(liffere11t to this aetion and slippcd
the doem11P11t np his sleen. Bnt the commissio11e1s de
ma11ed to he Jl<-_,1111itted to tnke cognmnte of it. ~f other
de Bly snys: '"I wns tl1en watching him ns I lrne'1\ that
the readi11g- of it would not give h im the satisfaction that
he expected, and it -rrns easy for me to see the varions emotio11s which agitated bis mind when he became aware that
om worthy ~Iothe1 lrn<l discovered the s11nre tlrnt he had
l nid for her. Howeve1 he th eu cou ce a led his 1ese11 tment
hut 1ater made ns feel its etfects." 1
Iudeed that wns not the on ly evil scheme whirh lie
hnd :-;onght to exeenie against i he eommnnity in th ose
hyi11g cfrcnmst m1ces. ] n OI'(ler to iwepnre the wny for
the changes which he l1Hl <lcteirnined to make iu it, npparently hc had given the co111mis~io1w1s to nnderstand
that there were almses in the honse. Couseqnently, when
they had inspect-ed en~1ything, they turned to him and
snid: ''But in this house there. is no abuse that would
1

11\ifanuscript Memoir of l\fother l1 e Bly, Part II, ch. :X...XVI.

524

LIFE OF JE .. \.NNE CHEZARD DE )!A.TEL

justify the whipping of a cat." 'fherefore " . . ben the visitation of the couvents was completed and they gave in the
accounts of the.ir mission, the commissioners declared
that the monastery of the Incarnate 'Vord was regular,
vast, and sufficiently provided for, and that it was proper
to approve the Letters of its establishment and to preserve its existence. ~'bis decision was ratified by the Archbishop and by the Parliament, but nnder one condition:
the nuns of the couvents of which the suppression had
been decreed, shonld go and en<l their days in the monastery
of the Incarnate 'Vord, under a Superioss chosen by
the Archbishop.
In view of this determinatiou, Monsignor de Prfixe,
to fill this position, cast bis eyes upon a person of great
merit from whom he had received important services which
he was bent upon recognizing. She was a religions of the
Assurnption named Madame of St. Ursula, who had come
to the suburb of Saint-Germain to make a foundation there
and whose house was to be suppressed. Although in
virtue of the decree made on the matter, the rights confened upon the Prelate were absolnte, he did not wish
to use his authol'ity withot deference to the wishes of
the connnunity of the Incarnate 'Vord, and lie sent his
own nephew l\I. de Ris and two ecclesiastics of his own
honsehold, to propose the na~ne of that lady for their
acceptance. 1\fother de l\fatel had known Madame of St.
Ur~nla for a long time and had been very intimate with
her mother with whom she had even gone to visit in the
couvent of the A~snmption on St. Honor street, when
she was ~till a novice and had sai<l to her: "I had hoped
that yon would be one of my first danghters of Paris, and
now yon are engaged elsewhere. But yon rmmot prevent
rne from always looking on yon as my danghter.m The
A l'Ch bi8hop's ehoice wa~ the mo~t ~ll italJle to her and slw
expressed her consent to it. But the c1isis through which
li er rnonaste1y was pm;siug was Hot to end so peaceably.
1Ma1111 sc ri pl lVkm o i r of l\Tot h <' r <l e H 1y, P a rt II , c h . XXX.

THE

:.\IOX~'.STEP..Y

OF

P.'.nIS.-PEUSECCTIO~

'l'he Prior~ liaYing learned the plan of "Jionsignor de

Prfixe, lrnstened to notify the b1others of )Iadmne Lenet,
so that the~~ rnight persuade the Prince of Cond to clairn
that plaee for thefr sister efoie the nomination of )Jaclame
of St. L"rsnla had been nwde officially. Xo proposal could
liaYe been more disag1eeahle to the Frelate. Apart from
his desire to fayor )Jadame of St. l~rsnla, )fodame Lenet
hacl alreac1~~ giYen him ~o much trouble b~~ her solicitations
and inti-igues of eYery kind that, mainly to rid himself
of that indiYiclnal, he had recently pu blished a pastoral
letter commanding all Jnms '"ho were strangers in Paris
to go back to their own conYents 'Yithin fifteen clays.
'r11erefore ,yhen His Higlmess came in person to make
this demand, he ied to eYade it by iepresenting to him
tha t the position of Superioress 'Yas too inferior for that
lady, that nothing Jess than n position of . Abbess would
suit her, and that the oftiee in question "~as only a commission for th1ee yems. But the Prince realized that to
yield woulcl mean defeat ~ he imdstecl on the Archbishop
acceding to his demanll. and the P1ela te, \Yho 'Yas unwilling to resist him openly, submitted, God permitting this
to satisfy His justice for Ile ha cl cleereecl to ehastise in this
life those to "~hose fanlts His gooclness woulcl sho\\~ me1cy
in the next.
T he Archbishop, after haYing perrnitted his consent to
be thus extorted, sent )f. de HamatureL one of the two
ecclesiastics through whom preYiously he had proposed
l\Iadame of St. l~1sula to _the religions of the Incarnate
YVord, to announce the change 'Yhich had superYened, and
to sa:r for the ..:\rchbishop, that the greater the resistance
the nuns would make against accepting that Superioress:
the grea ter the fa Yor the y 'Yonlcl eonfer 11 pon him.
Tbe religions of the Incarnate \\Tord kne\\~ )[aclame
Lenet thoroughl~, an cl thoronghly nnderstood what to e:x:pect
from hel'. Rut, on the other hand, they felt a great repugnance to enter into this war of seeming opposition to the
will of their Archhishop. HmYeYe1\ as the Frelate hopecl
that t heir re~i~tanee would haYe the same result as that

52G

LIFE OU' JE ..\NNE CHEZARD DE i\IATEL

of the Bc11edictine nm1s who had successfnlly iejeded

)fadarne Le11ei mHl re1ni11ed )ln<lame d'Al'l)Onze, the
Priore~s of tht>i1 ow11 choi<'e, ii wa~ deci<led to resist.
The secnlm <Hfrise1~ or the horn~e having been infol'lned
nlJout the stnte of tlie atfai1, called i11 the most renowned
juriscomm lts of the capital, to dev;e the Lest menus to
take in the ei1Tumstances. All agreed on the follmving
course: 111 the first place, in order to prevent the trnnsfol'lnntion of the mo1rnstery into a Benedictine Priory
aec01ding to the 1woject of the Prior, l\fother de ~intel
must mnke a fo1mnl protest agaiust all that, in the present
or the futme, conld be done conary to the intentions
which she hnd Iiad in -fonnding her monnstery, and thnt
she shonld rnnke to a ielinble person, in 1ncse11ce of n
notary, a do11 a tion in ter vivos of all that she possessed.
In the second place, the religions shonld iusist on their
right to ele(_'t their own Snpe1ioress and shonld beg the
ArehlJishop to lecognize this iight. Tn the e'rent of his
refnsing to neeede to this reqnest, as in fod he was preve11ted from ncceding by his word given to the Prince of
Cond, they shonld send to the Archbishop tl11ee jndicial
citations, nfter which they could secnrely proceed to the
election.
'l'his ]Jlm1 was snlnuitted tu the app1oval of the Prelate
throngh the two ecelesinstieal inte1mediarie~ to whom lie
had entrusted the management of the affair. In those
circnmstnnces," 1elnte1-1 2\Iothel' de Bly, ""those two AlJbs
we1e of grent nid to ns hy their <liligencc in gathcring
all the comrnels neeessm'.y to m1s1ne that we should net
nccorcling to the legal forrns l'eqnil'ed JJy the case, and i11
bl'inging us information from the Arch Lishopric and the
Abbey H]}(l f'rom 0111 ag-rnts who did iheir dnty with snch
~cal that the1e was pe1fNt 1nel'isioll i11 all tlu documents
tha t h ad to be d n\ fte<l fo1 i ]w (]pfoJlSP Of Olll' J'ig'h ts.'' 1
Mother de Maiel, on hr1 ~ide, ~igned an m1the11tic deed
i11 fav01 of Siste.J F1 m H'( 1 ~ U1avip1 ( who had not take11
hPt' vow:-; an<l <onld ll'.('Ppt i1) of a donatim1 of all her
1

1M<111uscript M0m()ir of Mnther <le Bly, P:1rt Il, c h. XXXI.

r_rHE MONASTEJRY OF PARIS.-PEJRSECUTION

527

present and future possessions, and neglectecl nothing that

was considered necessary for the maintenance of the 111011astery. Dnring these procedures, her soul suffered an
nnspeakable mmty1dom. Her words were rather sighs.
, Eve1y announcement made to her was like a sword piercing
her heart. '"My God,'~ she exclaimed, ''these then are the
abysses which you showed me! Must my eyes see the
fa ll of this ho use !" And yet she was ever resigned, ever
heroic. From a distance we often watched her struggling
in a painfnl agon~T and overheard her in the midst of
it, nttering the words of ber adorable l\faster: "My God,
rrhy will be doue in all things."1
Monsignor de Pr~fixe had retired to bis villa at
Homaine, in order to escape from the soJicitations which
were being made to install Madame Lenet, and in order
not to be obliged to respond to the citations that were to
be served npon him by the religions of the Incarnate Word.
'r'he latter acldressed them to his Vicar General, the Prior
of the .Abbey. After the third citation, he went to their
monastery, accompanied by the Promoter of the Archbishopric and commanded :Mother de Bly to give ber
accounts. Rhe replied: '"Father, I will perform that dnty
according to usage, as soon as the Superioress whom we
~hall elect, has been installed.
I am astonished that yon
have put the Promotor to the trouble of coming to onr
couvent. Alfough I have great respect for him persounlly, I do not recognize him here, because, as you know,
by the grace of God we are not guilty of any crime.'''f'he Pri01 replied: "He is corne, not in the quality of
Promoter, but throngh condescension and to learn how
yon are disposed.''-'"'Ve are disposed," she replied, to
defend our iights and maintain our Constitutions the best
we can. YVe protest against everything that will prejudice
them." "'Reeiug," continues Mother de Bly, "that we lacked
neither ihe aids to act according to the forms of law nor
the (oma;e to follow the instrnctions of our counsel, he
withchew with an air of indifference." 2
lManuscript Memoir of Mother de Bly, Pa.rt II, ch . XXXI.
2Manuscript Memoir of Mother cle Bly, Part II, ch. XXXII .

528

LlFE

011~

JEANNE CHIDZARD DE l\I.ATEL

On the very 11ext day, .J nly :!O, 1G70, the Archbishop

sent a messenger to inform the religions that they had

no time to lose in electing a Superioress, because l\Iadame
Len et wns to be installed by the Prior on J uly 21. At
the sa me ti me l\f other de Bly was warned not to be frigh tened at the violence which might be done to herself personally, as its real pnrpose was to prepare the way for
the expnl~on of l\f admne Lenet, and she was instructed
to make an imnwdiate appeal against the Archbishop of
P:ui~ to the Primate of the Ganls.
'l'he final mensures were immediately taken. l\l. de
Nogent, Prim of . \.ubervilliers, was engaged to celebrate
t11e l\foss of the Holy Ghost on the next day and to p1e~icle at the electi011s, and another ecclesiastic with a notary
to assist. 111 due time, after the l\fass had been saicl and
the usnal prayers . hacl been completed, l\fother de Bly
;aye lll) her offi('e, as she writes, "with joy proportionnte
to tbe violenee clone to myself when onr wol'thy :Mother
<ommmHled me to receive that blessed burden which has
en~r been a liea Y.Y cross to me.'' 1 The suffrages of t he comJllll 11 ity eleeted Tiev. l\fother Elins of the Cross de la Ve1pi11 ire, a p1ofessed of the monastery of Paris who was
tlH 11 in the monastery of Lyons.
The gathe1ing of the votes hacl scarcely begnn when
t'"o rnniages, in one of wbkh were the Pri01 of Saint(1p1nu1i11, Dom Victor Tixier, his secretary Dom Arsenius
~fo1isse;rn, a bailiff, nnd an official of the Archbishoprie~
nnd i11 the other, Madame de Tomville, a lady of ho11or
of the P1iBeess of Cond, l\f adame J.,enet and her bl'other~
haJted befo1c the monastery m1cl a Yiolent knocking ref-'onmled at the door. " God kno"~s, " relates l\Iother <le
Bly, ''the palpitations of hart which we felt at this signal,
fn1 we had hee11 warned that fiR eornpany wonlcl nrrive
in j-)i(' l)}()J'llllg. As for lll,YSPlf r had f'<_
lu- as if pye1y cml'(q.?;e i11at pa:-;sP<l ill the ~i1Nlt was 1olling OW'l' me, mHl
w h<'ll thP:-;0 ani,rPd, my pmoiio11~ wrre like thosp of an
ofli<'Pl ' :d: the l1ea<l of a weak nnny wlii('h lie ~rp:-; att:wked
1

1 :\lnnu scl' p t

l\l 0 n10i1 o f

1\To t h e 1 (l e H b . Part 11 , <h . XX.XI 1.

THE ~IOX.\.STEHY OF P~\HIS.-PEUSECUTIOX

hy a more powel'fnl enemy.

529

But thiR commotion did not

p1event us from completing what remained to be done.
\Ve let them knoek as rnuch aR they '"anted, and we went
to the varlor only after the notary had written the reco1d
of the eJection and we had signed it. " 1
-n'hen the religions had asi-:embled in the v1eRence . of
the Prim, be declmed to them that be hacl corne, in the
name of the Areh bishop, to install jfadmne Christine Lenet
as Snperioress, and be made the Official iead the deed
of that nomination. 'fhe reading was 1iRtened to in p10 fonnd silence. \Yhn it was finished, )fothe1 de Bly stood
forth and sa id: . ' \Ye have all ]JORRihle respect for )lon~ig11or the Archbishop.
But, saving this respect, for
the maintaining of onr rightR, we are obligecl to deelare that
we cannot recefre fis lady into onr monastery, and mnch
. lPSR can we recognize ber as onr Superioress, beeause, apmt
from her not being a member of our Onler~ we lrn.Ye jnst
now elected, foi this office, 1\Iother Elins of the CrosR,
fo1merly a I'rofessed of this hon~e , who is at lH'eRent in
om monastery of Lyons:~
111 spite of th]s protest, the orde1 was gi\~e11 to 011en
tlie do01~ of the conyent. 'I'his was 1efused. Threats of
imprisomnent and excommunication were macle by the
P1ior, but they were uselesR. Mothei de Rly bad been
informed by reliable authorities, that the Prio1'R eensnres
were invalid, and consequently she was not frightened.
Rhe derlared that if foree was m:ed to irnlnct "]fadamc
Lenet into the mona~tery, she wonlcl appeal from the 01di na11ee of M onsign01 of Pmis to the ibnnal of the Al'Ch bishop of Lyons, Primate of the Ganls. 'l'his _ <ledaration
monsecl an the wrath of the adverse party. - But neither
this recrudescence nor the means of persecution "~hich they
wished to try conld shake the religions who were con~dons of acting according to the fo1ms of law, for the
defense of their legitimate 1ights, and the adve1se pmty
f'onsidered it thefr duty to lneak in the couvent dool'.
The Riste1s then retired befure the Blessecl 8acrament.
11\Januscript l\l e moir of l\lother cle Bly, Part II . ch. XXXIII.
nhidem.

530

LIFE Oli'

JEA~NE

CHEZARD DE :\IATEL

'rI1ey had great need of vouring out their so11ows and

8frengthening their courage before IIim "'\Yho is the strength
of the weak and the protector of the opp1e~sed.
'l'hey had scanely fonnd n moment to breathe in the holy
place, \Yhen they heaid violent blmvs on the <loor of the
clnuch, ~rhey feal'ed that lt also would he broken iu nnd
they dimbed np to seek an asylmn near their ''enerated
Foundress, whorn they hnd hesought to remain in her apartment, so that her eyes might be spared the sight of the
distre~sing scene that might take pla~e.
Alns, this filial
p1ecnution could not hinder the echo of the c1nsh onts1<1e from ieaching her enrs. E'rery blow of the hamm_er
e1ncified her. 'l"his was indeed the snpreme hour of her
iol'tme. ln vain did her danghters try to console her,
all(l make her hope thnt the greater the damage and violenec 11<1w perpetrated, the s1Tonger wonld be the position
of the P1imate invoked by the advice of the Archbishop
of Paris, to rnake nll treat thern with justice. Nothing
conld reassnre ltcr. 8he continned 1epeating: "No, my
<langhters, eve1ything will be used for yonr rnin.'' 1
I>ming this tinw the assailants continned their wol'l\:
of Yiolence which \Yas uot devoid of di fticulties. 'l"hc doors
arnl Joeks werc so massive. thnt they had to give np trying
to break them. 'I'hey made a mason dcmolish a pmt of the
wall enelosing the grille of the pal'lor. A locksmith entc1ed by this hreach and snccee<lcd in taking off the locks
arnl opening an enfranee, not only for the infrodncers of
:\[a<lmne Lenet, lmt also foi a mob of pas~ers-by, who
1uu1 a~semblcd on heming the noi~e made by the work111Pn l1 the folfillme11t of thei1 ignoble task.
Once in
the m01ia~te1y, the Prim 01<1e1e<1 the religions to assemble
in the <"hofr.
l-IL 01<le1ed ::\Iadamc Lenet to ocrnpy the
place of 1ltc 8npcri01p~~ mHl <"Omrnanded l\Iother <le Bly
to ('Orne fonvH1<l :rn<l i-;nhlt<' h<~1 ns her RnperioresR. She
1epli< <1: r wil1 i-;:i111te 11<'1 ns my ~d:-;tp1 i11 .Jpsns Clnist,
Jn1t ltot- HN rny ~ll]>Pl'OJ'('NN, f'o1 f Jinn~ ;rnothel' WhO has
hPCll ]pgit i111ni<ly p]('<'il~<l.~ '
~]I(~ W:\N SllllllllOne<l to givc
1

1 .l\];11111 s~ ript

l\ IPmoir of ::\lnt11 e r d e

H l~.

l'art 11, ch . XXXIH .

THE i\IONASTEUY OF I'AIUS.-

I'ERSECU'l'IOX

531

her accom1 ts to Jf <tdmne Lenet, Lut 1eplied: "" [ shnll acquit

myself of that dnty a~ soon as 0111 legiiimate Superioress
has arrived." 1 'ro eaeh llew injunction she responded with
snch prndellee arnl firumess that the lnwye1s who were
p1esent foi titis exeention were amazed and said: 'That
woman knows he1 lmsiness.'' The Pri01 threatened Jto
expel her from the monaste1y, but this did not trouble
her as she hnd been seereily 1formed that this measure
,yould strengthen the indietments ngninst :Jiadame Lenet.
'I'herefore when she was told to go and pack her clothes
to depnit she ieplied to the Pri01: ""l need nothing but
my t1nei1ix,'' m1d suppressing her emotiou to spare the
feelings- of Jfother de Matel, she said good-bye to her with
d1y eyes and gaye her to understand tlrnt her absence
'Yonld be of sh01t dneation.
1-'his " 'orthy :JI other jndgcd i he si tuntion far otherwise., and nt the sight uf such tl.;order in her honse, she
was overcome by affliction and te:us. She went and knelt
at the feet of the A1ehbishop's Ofticial, saying to him, as
he was keeping close to :ilJ othe1 de Bly in fear lest she
might attempt to escape: '" . . \h, Sit, what are yon doing'?
By taking away from me my da nghter de Bly, you are
tearing off m~, iight arrn. You will make me die of a
broken heart. " 2
Her })l'Otests and tems we1e of no avail, and her dear
daughter wns d.n1gged mn\Y from ber. The poor exile
cries ont: Oh , jf T conld have fo1eseen that I would
neYer mo1e see onr worthy 1[othe1, and that this sad
adieu was my lnst, who is thel'e that could have totn
me from her feet '? I won Id have defied all men on earth.
'l'hey would haYe had to take her away \Yith me, or to
take away rny lifc bef01e fey l'<mld se1mra t e me frorn
lier who wn~ demer to me tlum nll else on the face of
the earf. I except God nnd His g1nce. Bnt, like many
othel's, I believed thnt my ab:-;enee would last but a few
days, after whith justice wou ld he done ns and I ".,.ould
g:o haek to onr monnstery and Madame Leuet would leave."
1Manuscript M e moir o f i\Iother d e Bly, Part II , c h. XXXIII.
2l bic1em.

5 -'h )

4t

)-

LIFE OF'

.JE ~\.~~E

CHEZ.Hm DE i\L\.'l'EL

rrhe inhepid l\fother lrnd the courage also to s ay goodbye to ber dem f5iste1s. "I was exfremely sad," she says,
'~but shed no tem, and the}r unclerstood that my manner
was earn~ed, not by lack of affection, but by the violent
im 1Jrcssion from the shock of these scenes." -n1hen the
door was 01)e11ed by 01der of the Pl'ior, her heart began
to beat in snch a strange -way "that it seemed to wish to
Ieap out of hm bosom to go back and again say goocl-bye
to her beloYecl Mother.m
YVhen she was on the threshold, her strength came near
failing. AH from which she was to be torn a way presented i tself before lier eyes. Clinging to the dear cloisterdoor -w-hich for twent.v--two years had been an impassable
hnrrier between he1self and the world, she fondly embraced
it, and, in that postme, slunply rebuked the Pri01 for his
injm;tiee in teming her away from the house of her Profession, her who, on mTiYing at Paris, ha<l been unwilli~1g
to visit the cmiosities of tbe capital, and had pl"ized the
smallest corne1 in her monastery n boYe all t he benuties of
the great diy.
At this trying moment, ~[adame Lenet and the persons
rd10 lrnd come with her took ndvantage of the emotions
they sa-w in l\lother de Bly, and aga.in urged her to recognize
l\Iadame Lenet as Supel'ioress and spare herself the cruel
exile that faced her. He1 sndness wns so great that perhaps she might hnve yieldecl, if she had not remembered
her promise to the Archbishop to do nothing in favor of
l\ladame I.enet, nnd if shc had not been restraiued by the
thought of the appeal which se had macle to the Primate.
She then made a final effort to overcome ber feelings and
leaving the cloiste1 entered the carriage a waiting her,
wbile the iwighbors and passers-by who witnessed thesc
Rcenes, c1ied out in prote~t against snch violence and
iujn~ticc.
1\fothe1 de Bly lwd 11ot been tol whmc ~hc was to be
takcn, hu 1 the Al'ch hi~hop had had the consideration to
n:-.:~igu nR hcr iefngc the monastei-.r of ihnt 1\f a dame of Rt.
11\llnllscript of :\Totller (le Bly, Pnrt II, c h. XXXI IL

'l'HE 1\10.NASTERY OF PA-UIS.-

PERSE CUTIO:N

533

Ursula who had been chosen by him to govern the religions

of the suppressed couvents w110 were to have ended their
days in the monastery of the Incarnate \Yord. He thus
gave to the two l\f others who were both victns of the
intrigues of }\fadame Lenet, the means of mutual attachment and encouragement, wrhile waiting for justice against
the violence and disorclers committed against themselves in
order to satisfy the ambitions Frsnline.
'l'he notm.v who had been present for the election wlii~h
was the first art of tlrnt tragi c day of .July ::n, 1(;70, had
been ordered to remain in the house to 1ecord ever~r thb1g
tlrnt would take place. He had kept his post valiantly,
]11 spite of all tlu~t had been done to dlive him awray from
it. He had recorded the appeal to the Primate, promising
to notify him and to follow up the affair in concert with
the secular connsel of the rnonastery. The Prelate, against
whose decree the appeal had been interposed, dsired only
to be condernned as soo11 a possible. 'I1herefore all the
circurnstances conspired to raise hopes that the harsh trials
through which the monastery had passed, would soon end
and be followed by an era of peace and increased strength
for the honse wldch had been so violently shaken by the
r-:torm. Ho"rever this is not to be. God " rill not permit
justice and trnth to triumph in favor of that hou se which
itself has violated the rights of justice and truth in the
face of so many protests and so1Tows. The Archbishop,
on whose protection the success of its case depends, will
be struck down by a premature death, and the rnonastery
will again see its fate placed in the bands of the Prim of
the Abbey, as Vicar General, and during the vacancy of
the see he will con snmma te its rnin by a decree of su ppression. 'Yhen the monaster.r will h1voke the authority
of the judges to annul this iniquitons tleed, they, withont
knowing it, will fulfill the prophecies of l\fother de )fatel
and examine the terms of the endowment for which she
has suffered so nrnch. They will declare that tbe monastery, having been founded from ill-gotten goods, must be
snppressed and all its possessions mnst become the patri mony of the genera1 HoRpital.

On

Calvary

lGTO
"'[adame Lenet, having attnine the ohject of her ambi tion~, confirmed without dela:r what had lJeen expectecl from
her governmeut. 'l'he very day after h e r installation, she
admittecl into the mo11aste1.r religions "~110~e conYents had
been snppressed. 1-'hePe estnbUshmeuts had, for a long
time, been unable to 1eenfrl snhjects, conseqnently there
n~maincd only a few inofessecl who wer~ nged or infirm.
~I othel' de Dly snys: " ..:\s they were led i11, )fa dame Lenet
ffow ilito a rage nt seeiug as her suhjeets mms, who lnonght
hcr 110thi11g bu t iirfilmity and pieces of old fnrnitme. " 'l'he
religions of the honse, on account of thefr own pitiful condition, dicl uot firnl it hmd to com1rns:-;io11a.te the snffe1ings
of tho~e Yenerablc slu11e1s of their misfol"tunes. l\laclnme
Lenet Rhowed them unly lrnnghtiness and lrnn.;lmess.
They nni,e<l \Ya~kd with fatigue, aml op1nes~ecl with
gTief at sceiog thcrnseln~s io111 from tlieir blesf-:cd homes
whe1c they had hopcd to end theiI dnys in peace. The new
Rnpc1iore~s , withont taking m1y cme to eomfort them or
p1ovicle fo1 thefr needs, eontented herse1f by giving an orcler
that th e food ap1Jol'tionecl to th e cla11ghte1R of the ho11sc was
to be diminished. Hnt, -:\fother de Bly iernarks, "she p1acticed this diarity nt onr CX])CJlNC and not lH_l1s, foi he1 mn1
p01tio11 consisting of s<111alm 01 small grn1P, was not subjeded t o h er rnle:-; of pmsimony." A womnn eapahl e of sueh
gToss selftsllllcss rnd inchlieate rnam1 c1N, uaturally would
not eonfine h c1sell' t o ilte~ c points. Sh e w:1~ i11s11ppol'iable
i11 omncs:-;i11g- hel' jnfe1i01N :nl<l lH'C\'entcd ihem frorn speakiHg io :my ex i e111N., le:-;1 1ht\\' rnight cornplain of ht}1 tyrrnnies. Hl1P took th e i1 ortie<)~ aw1y frorn iht} Hi:-;1el's of the
house. 8he kept fo1 he1scH the ofices of' Brn:-;m and Dis)'<'I 1s01, :rn d <li sfri J rn tP<l th~ oth cr offi ces :1111ong t-l10~c sfr:rn -

OX CALYARY

ge1s \Yho, 1 he1 opinion, might be l'elied uvon to nc1m1iste1

them al'eording to he1 YiewR.
ThiR persecution "as so mlYersal thnt it extended eyeu
to the ~1 othe1 Fonndress. "Jiadame Len et w onld not let her
see nny one and tnld tbose "ho asked to see her thnt she "n~
ilL but tlrnt ~he took the greatest cme of her. :Jiothe1 de
B<.~ly ie1<lte~: .. !t is ne tlwt she \\ent occmdonally to ~ee
her, but she mnnifestecl sueh haughtinesR nnd nrnity, thnt
it "ns only n ~onrce of aunoyanee to om \YOrthy :Jluther,
"ho lrncl n great loYe and atfraction for hnmility and ~im
vlicity. She often sni<1 tous thnt these wel'e the two virtues
,y}1ich the Incarnate Yrord lrnd ~11ecinlly iecommended, nnd
in 'd1ich the danghterR of her Onler ~hould surpass nll other
l'eligious, and \Yhich they onght to mnnifest in nll thefr
words m1d actions."
This rigid sec1nsion \nH n source of gieat conee111 to the
friends of the monastery and es1leeinlly to those "ho hnd
been witnes:-;e~ of the Yinlenee \Yhiclt hnd heen j)erpetrnted.
)Iadame rle f,nrrnc, in parti('nlnr, hncl followed the earriage
which took ")f other de Bf>ly, in orde1 to ~ee where she was
left and to gi,e info1mntion of this to the Sisters. Not
being able to obtain }H?1mi:-;sion to spenk to nny of them, she
thought of an expe<1ient by "hich it migltt be possible for
)fothei de B1y m1d the Riste1s to eornm1micnte "ith one
nnother. She hall a little hole macle in the "nll between
the conYent gaiden nnd her own honf.;e, and stationecl a yalet
as sentinel to ":ltch there nntil he sn" some of the religion~
of the commnnity passing, in order to inform them of this
means of communication. They \Yere glnd to take ndYantage
of this means to sencl letters to one nnother, and the poo1
exile ronlcl thns 1emn something of "hnt "as happening in
he1 dem con yent n n c1 snsta in, by her connsels m1 cl en con ragemen ts, those who w~re snffe1ing contrnal vexations from
t hefr op1 ness01~.
~fnny friernl~ w<>1e soon on the alel't.
Thus three dnys
nfte1 th0 installation of :JJndame Lenet, the agent of the
comnnrnity came to notify the p1etended Superioress that
he had rece\'e(l the p\Yer of attorney from the Religions

53()

LIFI~

OF .JE.\XXE CHEZ.\HD DE

~L\TEL

of the I ncmuate 'Yonl, and had been authol'ized to iepref-'e11t them in their appeal to the Primate. She immediately
info1med the Pri01 who, acco1ilpanied by a policeman, a
sergeant, and an official of the Archbishop, came in great
haste to threaten the Heligious and make them withdraw
the aboye mentioned agency. rrhe Heligious were at dinner
and the Pri01 and his associates eame into the refectol'y.
Sister of the Blessed Sacrament Allouis was the l'eader on
that day. ~rhe official addressed himself to her and a~ked
if she had signed that document. She replies in the affirmative, whe1eon he seizes her by the arm and thl'eatern; to
th1ow her into the pI'ison of the Archbishopric, nnless she
revokes the appeal. She is frightened, but remains dete1mi11ed not to yield and rnns to the side of the Mother FoundI"ess;I whe1e she is followed hy her pursue1s; but the dignity of the words and the personalit.v of that venerable
woman compel the pursue1s to withdraw. She was, however, given to unde1stand that they "~ould soon rcturn to
obtain the iennneiation whieh they demand.
Sorne days later, ~ladmne Lenet discoYers that the ~iln:'l'
wa1e, which Mother de Bly had deposited in a secu1e plaee
sho1tly before the couvent was invaded, had disappeared from
the sac1i~t.r. Madmne I.enet notifies the Pri01 who a nives
withont delny m1c1 me1wces Sister of the Blessed Sae1ament
who was sanistan, wiih exfreme penalties, nnless she ieveals the p]ace where the objects me deposited.
Fina11y he forbids he1 to l'eceive Holy Comrnnniou.
Jf othe1 de Bly snys: "''rl1is prohibition cnnsed he1 profonntl ~onow, hnt f'he bo1e in silence. not only this <'ernn1l'e.
bnt all the offenf.:ive words whieh were addressed to he1-." 1
It is ensy to nnde1stand how mneh the venerable Fonndress snffered at ~ecing hel' honse tlrns invaded and her dear
da11ghtp1s ill - tn~ <1ted. Ile1 hemt 1e<'eive<l wonnd after wonnd
:rn <l f.:eelll('<l to lw lm t 011P open ~orP. I 1owen~r, more pa i 11fn 1
h1ow~ l\ntitc<l lter.
Jfon~ignor Camille <le Neuville de
\" l le1oi , the A J'Ch hi shop of Lyon8, visited Pmi~. 1-'he friends
<lll<l t Jtp :q.!,,~ 111 f.: of thP <'OJlYPll t knowing th(' l ,n.:'l<l te'~ csteem
1l\la1111 :-;c1ipl l\l e moir of l\lol11 e r d e Dt"ly, P~1d 11, ell . XXXY .

G37
for Mother de l\fatel and for ber work, decided to take advantage of his presence to execnte a plan which seemed to
promise a qnick and happy solution of the difficulties which
beset her. It consisted in taking l\fother de l\fatel ont of
the honse, tlrns makiug Madame Lenefs possession of it
more precarions and renderiug it comparatively em;y to
force her to abandon it when the decree of the Primate
would order her to be dispossessed.
'I'he cause was so manifestly just and its snccess wm~
tl1ought to be so assured, that arrangements were made to
bring the venerated Fonndress back into the couvent, in
triumph, iri the company of her dear daughter de Bly, at
the same time that Rev. Uother Elias of the Cross, who 'yas
to bring the Primate's sentence from Lyons, would make
her entry to the chant of the Te De1tm. As it was well
known that the good l\_fotber woulft be unwilling to be separated from her childreu, in the crucial morne.n t of theil'
great sufferiugs, a stratagem was devised which was gladly
seconded by the Archbishop of Lyons. On August 14, 1G70,
he sent his sister-in-law, the wife of l\farshal de Villeroi , to
state that he desired an interview with her at his hotel and
he sent his own carriage to convey her thither. The Mother
Fouudress believed that the Frelate wished to speak to her
about her appeal and nnsuspectingly entered the eqnipage,
accompanied by Sister Frances Gravier, her secre_tary, and
by a maid-servant who supported her feeble steps. Monsignor Camille de Neuville conferred with her,
during several hours, on the crisis through which her mon astery was passing and assured her of his protection and
of the success of her case in his Primatial Court, and persuaed her to remain outside of her couvent for several day8
while awaiting this favorable sentence. ~l'he family wonld
have been glad to give hospitality at the hotel de Villeroi
to a personage for whom they cherished great veneration,
but the agent of the couvent foresaw that the presence of
the Archbishop of Lyons and his attendants wonld necesRarily atfract attention and that the presence of the Foundress there wonld be rendily cli~covered, he engaged lodgings

538

LIF'E OF'

.JE.\X~E

CITEZ.\HO DE ).fA'l'EL

elscw'l1ere. 011 fp ns~ma11ce that all p1'ope1 proviNionf-; fol'

the good Mothe1 h <Hl he<)n made, she wm~ penn i tte<l to l eave
the palace ~~nd go to he1 new <1welling.
'J'his was a srna ll l'oom 011 a fmnth 11 oor i mmedia tel y
nnder a ti le 1oof which was heateu npon 1Jy the sc01ching
iays of the snn. Her party had lJy uo means expected to
be absent foi a long time; the venel'able ~Iother was nhsolntely nnprovided for and had to suffe1 many discomforts
of which, however, she made no complaints. Her g1eat preoccupation was the memol'y of the crnelties she had seen
inflicted upon her beloved dangh tel's; her a pprehension of
still greater cruelties, dnring he1 absence, constantly hm1owed her soul. Her fea1s, alas ~ "~ere only too well fonnded. 1
.Yrl1en l\ladame Lenet awakened to the fnct that Mother
de l\latel had esea11ed frorn he1 clutches, Nhe flew into a
1age and summoned the r1io1. He anived inmediately,
necompanied by an official from the . .-\1chbh;l10pl'l'. r:rhey
breathed fire and flames, and pnshed thefr andal'ity to snch
a length that they rought a , locksmith into the monastel'y
to f01ce open the door of the Fonndress' ioom. althongh
they had no authol'ity over her. They S<'omed the whole
eity to find her, and even ha the hotel de Yillel'oi secretly
~emchecl.
Being mwble to find he1, they ietnliated on
Mother de Bly. 'I'hey changed the place of her exile, which
~fother of St. Ursula was doing all in he1 power to alleviate. T'here several of her relatiyes and friend~ had visitell
het. 'l"'his place of confinenwnt wa~ changed for 011e which
was more distant allCl seye1t\ n Benedietine rnmrn~tel'y on
the ontskirts of the city. The Rnpe1ioress, a lrnrd-hemted
woman, received an orer to let 110 one i-:ec ~lot hei de B6ly,
wiihont a Wl'itten pe1mit from the Pri01.
liowever, a tragic event, whieh threw all Paris into a
~ta te of stn pefaction, snRpe1Hle(l for a ti me the se Ycxa tions
rneasme~. ~\ pl'iest, whilc celelHHti11g ~IH~s in the Cathethal
of Notie 1>mne was rnistHkPn Jo1 the .A rchbishop, and
pic1ce<l hy the SWOl'(] of l lll~N:thJe <l~~f.;~ll. 1'he people
joine 11tei1 .. \1ThhiNhop i11 the 1eligio11s celebration~ held
to mak c 1epmni ion to God for thnt md'nl c1imc, arnl to
t hm1k 11 i111 foi t-J1p p1e~e1-ration of their Pastol's life; lmt

ON CALYARY

53

at the !"m11e time many nrn1mured m1d said that this misfo1tm1e might indeed be a warning frorn Heaven which disapproved the severities agaiust the snppressed nm1s.
"l\f other de nly, who lrnew the true intentions of her
.:\rchbishop, did not entirely agree with these sentiments,
and yet shc mrows: ''l"'he Divine Shepherd strurk this Frelate 'dth his ~taff, in orde1 to arouse him from sleep and
fol'(e him to watrh more rlo!"ely the conduct of his office1s
who, lmder llis nnth01ity, !mt without his knowledge, were
desolating the t1 Q(k wh ich the .Archhishop abaudoned to the
whims of one of his 'Vicars General, whose dominant pa~sion
was known to be to give lodging and board to a sheep that
was not of the fold, and, like a rayening wolf, airned at devouring those who were tbe Archbishop's trne sheep.m
Did the . Archbishop see, in this unfortunate event, a
. warning frorn on high? 'rhere are grounds for presuming
that he did, for, from that moment, he ceased to send additionnl Bm1s into the monastery of the Incarnate 'Vord,
and, for a whi le, it had a i~espite from the Prior's terrorizing
. methocls.
Fp to this time, in spite of the afflictions endured by the
saintly Fourn1ress, her health had remained good. She hacl
become weak 01dy in her limbs, since she had been kept by
l\fothel' Ge1i11 far away from all that concel'necl the government of the honse and had been forced to lead a sedentary
life.
I 11 the rnoll<l.stery she lrnd needed the support of her
danghters to walk from her room to the chapel or the par101, but this aid wns not cnongh to take her fron~ the place
where she now <lwelt, to the clrnrch where she heard l\fass
ev( l'.Y morning. rro alleviate her sufferings she was occasionnlly takcn 011 a p01table chair. But, unfortunately,
thefr resomeps were soon cxlwnsted and Sister Frances
Gravier, femi11g lest they might he lcft without the hare
iie(p~smies, was obligea to tel] the pions 2\fother that she had
to rnake a sanifice of her daily Conrnnmion. 'l"'lti~ wa~ to
:u-;k of her a saeriiiee dea rer th an li l'e. He1 ~onl, to whkh
God, His substantial n11d il1finitc life, beauty arnl love luHl
1

11\'Ianuscript Memoir of l\Iuth e r d e Bly, Part Il. ch. XXXV .

540

LJFE OF

.JE.\.~~E

ClIEZAIW DE :i\IA'l'EL

been miyeiled, was consurned with a devouring fire and an

insatiable craving to possess Him. Roly Communion alone
eould bl'ing sfrength for her continuons martyrdom, and
thence she longed for it with an ever burning ardor and an
unlimited desire.
Sorne years before, sbe bad been attacked by pneumonia
which caused grave fears for her life. l\Iother de Bly seeing that in spite of a congh, 'd1ich left ber little rest day 01
night, and in spite. of a fever and thirst which were devouring her, she remained withont bieaking hel' fast from eleven
o'clock at night until the l\Iass of the next day which was
ce~ebrated at a late hour, did all in her power to persuade
her to omit Holy Go111munion undm the circnmstances. She
avpealed to her ronscienre and told ber tha t, in acting
thus, she was exposing her life and distressing her daughters, to whom she ought to gire the consolation of comforting her in her sufferings, and 1eave them this example of
condescension and submi~sion in circumstances calling for
the sacrifice of their mvn wills. This reasoning was of no
avail. She al'oused all her vigor to repel the pro1)0sal and
said: "Oh! my daughte1, if you only knew all the ardor
with which I long for Roly Communion, you would be far
from making these urgent appeals to tmn me away from it.
No matter how weak I seem to yon, or what trouble I have
in 'valking, if, to have the happiness of receiving Roly
Commnnion, I had to pass over burning coals, I would walk
ovcr them, not only withont hesitation, but with joy.
'I tell you this to make yon feel that, with the de:-4i1e
Ciod gives me to nnite myself to Him, :lll l'emmns arc too
"eak to persnade me to depri ve myself of my Sovercign Good,
\Yho is my 011ly happineRs in this 'vorld. Ah, my danghter,
wh:1t woul becornc of me, if He were taken awa,v from me?
l f J "re1e pe1mitted to receive Him in this sac1ament of
lovt>, enl1y time I breathe, I know of nothing which I wonld
11oi <lo i o tlrn:-4 po~Ress ITim." :Mot-lier de Ul~ly adcls: "'rrhese
WOJ'(l~ werc mii m:d Pd wi 1h Ruch mdell t chari ty, tha t the.)~
~<>:lied my lip~. hnl 1lothi1lg <'ml eni effa<'e fe impreRsi011
tlW'' lPft n pon my he:ut-.'' 1
L~ Linu sc ript.

l\lellloir of Motl!cr (le B ly , Pnrl II . cil. lX .

31
From this \Ye can judge what anguish the T"enera ble
.Jiother endnred by the hrd necessities of her situation.
Her mental sufferings were so great and the discomforts of
her dwelling so vainful that it caused her to fall gra\ely
ill. Her stornach rejectecl all nourishrnent. her strength
wasted away with a rapidity that was alarrning. her T"Oice
became inaudible. and frequent faintings reduced her to
such a sad condition that danger of death seerned imminent.
An accident hac1 delayed the messenger who coffveyecl the
appeal to the Primate. ancl the sentence was to be. gfren
later than hacl been e:s:pected. To rernain any longer \n1s
to take the risk of lening "Jiother de "Jlatel die in that
\"netched retreat. Therefore there was nothing to do but
ignore eT"ery other consicleration except her life. and hasten
to take her back to the monastery.
This transfer could not be macle wi thout great pain being
incurred by the T"enerable patient. The men who carriecl
her: hacl to make nnmerons ha1ts as she hacl a fainting spell
at nearl:v eT"ery step. A_s she arriT"ecl at the com-ent. :Jiadame
I~enet came for\\-ard to receiYe her.
:Jiother de :Jlatel su111monefl all her strength to signify her desire to retain Sister
Frances GraYier and the rnaicl-ser\ant " -ho hacl attended
her dnring her absence. for she kne"- that this lady hacl
proclaimed that the:v should ne,er again enter the house.
The goocl .~Uother. after- hanng rnken this precaution. joyfu11~- em braced her clear daughters who had longed so earne:-;tl~- for he1 rennn and "-hose joy \Yns no"- changecl into
sorro"- at seeing her in such a pitiful condition~ ~.\s she
pa~:"ed hefore the chapel. she begged those whn carriecl her
to stop a moment: she made an effort to genutlect and bowecl
do\\-n her soul in p1ofonnd adoration. :Jiother de Bly here
e:xclairns: " my God '. who coulcl express all that her heart
then saicl to Yon and all the joy she felt at seeing herself
:-:o near to the place where You clwell in persan. " 1 Her re- /
gTe t1rnt she w3s not able to kneel could be reacl so easil:'
m the neamen ts of the Yenera ble :Jiother :' coun tenance
nr a n u ~cript

:\Iemo ir of :\Ioth er cl e Ely. ch. XXXYIII.

542

LTFE 011'

.JE.\.~NE

CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

that not only he1 daughters, but also the religions who we1e
strange1s in the bouse, were struck by it.
From that moment she remained all abRorbed in God
until the ne:x:t morning when the first word she uttered was
a request for Roly Communion. She was so ill and her
pn1se was so weak that this was believed to be her last dav
and it was given to her as Yiaticnm. To be devrived of this
divine nourishment had been he1 greatest Rnffering, and the
mere approach of this supersubstantial Ilread brought back
so mnch strength that, after having adored it. with marks of
p1ofoundest respect, she looked :Madame Lenet straight in
the face and said to her with a voice whose fhmness was a
snqwise to all: ''Madame, you have succeeded in mnking
trouble in our Order by your entry into this house. If it is
overthrown after my death, I will demand an account from
yon on the day of judgment. I charge your co11stience with
its ruin, if this happens. Hemember what you once JJromised me on your knees, before the Blessed Sacrmnent. Yon
can indeed deceive me, but you cannot deceive God. It is He
that you arraign, it is with Him that you will have to settle.
He will find you w11erever yon are. Rernember that it is He
to whom yon will have to render acconnt, and take eare to
eoudnct yomself hetter in the fntnre and to "Talk with
sincerity in His psence.m
'rhese grave and shaip words add1essed .to l\ladame Lenet,
as from the threshold of eternity and in the presence of the
8111neme J ndge, seemed to snbdue ber l1aughtine~s fo1 a
moment. \\'th a tlood of tears she proteRtc~(l to the sai11tly
invalid tlwt she wished "in the future to make a gond n~e
of the honor she enjoyed of heing in this house and of rPlldering it all the services in her power.m 'l'hc worthy ~fotla~r
demanded a JnomiRc> to do three spreific things: to cen~e
ill -trenting ]1p1 <lmgh\rs; to a<lmii (o inofcsRi011 the ymmg
Risi<'l' dn H(y, :111<1 1o p1o<mp ihe l'Pim11 of ~fofe1 de Bly.
' 'Hh e ]WOlll SPd (]Jp~p il1i11gN lll(l ~P\'Pl'll o1he1~:' e111:11kN
1'Iotlu1 dc> H(ly, "bu1 did no( fn11ill 011( of 1IH111, hn1 i11~iPH<l
:t<1Pd

('Ol1(1n1y

11\J;11111 ~( ri p 1

1o 1ltPlll :tll."':l

1\ l e rnoir o [ :\ 'l otlH' l' d e n t l y, 1';1rt Il. ('il, XXX\'111.

'. '. I hicl c m .

~Ll\1 tllll8e 1 ipt

l\ Tc n10il' o f l\J() tl1 n

d e

13 ( 1~.

c ll . XXX\TJJ.[ ,

5-!3

\Yheu the Fom1dre:'~ lind ~nti:'tied the~e ouligntion~ of

jn~tice and zeal. :-;be ndd1e:-::"ed he1 ff\Yll dnnghte1:--:. <llH1 with
the h nm il ity y] th \\hid1 her w 110le :'Onl w<l:-; i m lrned. :;;he
beg~:ed them to pal'Clon lier for any pain or cfo,eclifkation
:-;he rnight ba\e gi,en Them. Th en. a t the- mo~t enine:'t
reqnest. she gnYe he1 ~fothe1's ulessing tO all h~r claug:htPI'S ]Jresent and absent. \Yith the profonnclest reYerence at
the angnst presence of her adorable L(ffe. she then recitecl
nloncl the Pater. ~-\Te. Credo and Contiteo1. and a~ the prie:'t
took np the sacred Host to bring it to her she fonnd ne\Y
~trength and knelt np on her con ch to iecefre it 'd th all
}Jossible ren~rence.
\Yha t must haYe been the pions ~Iother:' tran:'po1ts of
joy and loYe when she was in po:-;session of Him \Yhnse
absence had cau~ed he1 snch grief. She was nt last able to
. pour ont into Hi~ heal't. all the pain and anguish and arclor of
ber o\\n. ~be conlc1 say to Him: "Lmd. she \Yhom Yon loye
is siek. as Yon see. If Y on had corne sooner she \nmlcl not
nmY be clying of sonow... And her .J esns so longecl foi arn1
so good. replied to he1: "I am corne and ''"ill cure thee."
From the blessed moment of her Communion. the \enerable
"Jiother seemed to a"ake to a ne\Y life. She "as alJle to
digest the nonrishment that was p1esented to her. and her
st1ength came back \Yith remarkable rapidity. ~Iother de
Hly say~: .. All th nt day there ''"as a Yisible im proYernent
in her health from honr to honr and. at the same time, con:-;olation and hope reYfred in the hearts of her (1anghters.
whom the graYity of her condition had OYerwhelmecl with
di stress.':
~\l:l.s, this hope was to be of ~hort clma tion.
~nch
extraorina1y irnprmement \Yronght in the hea1th of :J[nthe1
rle :Jlatel by the mere rece1Jtion of the Blessed Endwrist.
''"'-l~ snfficient proof that the prin1tion of this sacrecl manna
''"a~ the trne cause of her \Yasting a\\ay: and tlwt it was a
clnty to gfre her this heaYenly nourishment. HoweYe1-. ~Ia
clame Lenet hacl the crnelty to refu~e lier eYen this. She
att'ectecl :-:nnpnlosity nnder the prete.xt tlrnt she clid not cou-

GJJ

Lll<'l~

OF .1

E.\.~~E

C lIEZ.\.UD l>E

~L\.T~L

the Fonndress ill enough to justify her to permit the

iniest to enter the cloister oftenel' tlum once a week, either
to hcar hPr confession or to gi,c her Holy Communion, although she had no scruple whe11 it wm~ a question of bringing ofcials into the doister in 01c1e1 to te1rify the Sisters.
She t.ook this position the very next day after she had
nttered such tearful protestations and promises to make, in
the future, a good use of the authority which she hacl
nsntped. She thu:-3 p1oved that these demonstrations hacl
not heen from motives of repentance, but had been wrnng
from lier wounded pl'ide, and she showed what was - to be
expedetl from her. Nothing could rnake her retract her iefnsal. The confessor was new, and acted in conformity with
the jnclgment of ~fadame Le.net, and all the prayers of the
worthy 2\lother and her daughters were of no avail. ..
The fems of the Sisters were fully justifiecl. The ne'v
wound infiieted on the heart of the saintly Mother quickly
reduced her to the last extremity. 'l'his time, the blow was
mol'tn l. God was to make use of this hard-heartedness and
crying injustice for the final accomplishment of His designs
in her regard. He lrnd predestined this privilegecl creature
to be one of the mo~t brilliant exemplifications of His goodncss. He lwd sa id to her: '"I wish to makc thee such a
miraele of love, that thon wilt be an enigma to all. I 'vill
make, throngh thee~ an exten~ion of :My Tncarnation. 'fhon
wilt g;ive Me a new and mystic birth. ~rhou wllt be My
~Iotlter."
He had nccomplished nll of His pl'omises. .A.nd
now, ~o tlwt hel' death, like her mi~Rion, may 1esemble_that
of the inco11qw11ble Yirp:in who gffe bfrth to Him corporally, He wisltcs diYine Jmc to be a1so the carn.;.:e of her
drnth. By His graee He nwtle tlrnt :.;.:ac1ed the so vehement
ll ltr1 hr:u-t tlwt only the ElHhmistie dew pre\rentf.~ her from
bei11: ('(Jll~llllle<l. Therefo1e whe11 shP has bcn dPprivc<l or
it, nothing el~e cnn deiai11 lu_\1 soul heic below, aud the
flarnc of hc1 love m1d longing- bemR ltcr nwny to the bosom
of lic1 Helovc<.l, into the fu1rnHe of Infinite Life, Light, and
Lon~ whkh attract he1 inc~istihly.
\Vlien <ltY nf1p1 <fay had glicled l>y mnid frnitleR~ cfforis
io JWPs11:t<lP lliP oh~tin~1te all(l tyl'nmii<al 811pe1i01PNR to ie~ide1

545

lent, the venet"<lhlP )loihe1 determillecl, 110 rnattel' what it

migh t cost, to drag hel'8elf to H im wi thon t whom slw l'OU ld
110 longel' liYe. But nll hel' eomage and eff01t8 "Tere of 110
avail. Hel' seugth gaye way completely and she hnd to
renonnce her pnrpose. This failure was a 1e,relation to her
daughters and a premonition of the misfortune with which
they were soou to be smitten. "rhen they sa w that she conld
not walk even to ieceive ber God, they realized that their
l\iother was most gravely ill. They begged )Iadarne Lenet
to call Doctor de la Chamlne, on whose long friendship and
g1eat ahility they knew they could de1Jend. But. as he was
a great friend of the Chancellor, she refused. r:rhen they
pro[)osed to h~r Dr. de Mirabeau, who \Yas the physician of
the Duke of Orleans and to whom it Irnd been a pleasme
to give his professionaI serYices to the community without
his heing willing to accept any renrnneration. I t was hoped
that Madame Lenefs characteristic trait for savig, would
not render her insensible to this cornderation. However,
she still refuse and commanded the Sisters to cease their
petitions and that she herself \vould choose a physician.
Her choice fell upon a young man who had a doubtful
reputation and whose professional ability had by no means
been recognized. And indeed he did not give a proof of
ability in bis treatment of the venerable patient. Before
bringing him in to see the Foundress, Madame Lenet detained him in a long interview, and doubtless gave him to
understand that she \vas Jess ill than was thought; for, in
every visit that he made, and even in the last~ w-hich was a
few hours before ber death, he was effusive n assnr::mces that she \vas gradually getting better. However. he
or<lered some violent remedies and exacted that they shonld
be administered in his own presence, for he feared that they
wonld not be giyen after hiR departure. ~rhe good Mother,
in spite of her repugnance to following his directions, snbmitted to them, notwithstanding the feais of those who
we1e around her.
)ladmne de Cnnae sent he1 physieian to ask to see
l\fother de ~Intel, lmt Jf aame Lenet l'efusetl him entrance

fi4G

L IF'E OF

.JE .\~XB

C'HEZ_\HD DE :\f .\TEL

---...

to the patient'R 1'00111. ~-\ ~1101t while aftel', a ph,n.deian from

Lyon~. wlto W<lR ~m ol<l fl-iernl of the ~Iothe1 Fonndl'eRs,
wi~hed to pn:1sent hi~ 1e~ped~ to hel'. He was tol<l that he
tonld not ~ee hel', bee<lu~e ~he Iwd lwen in hed for Reveral
lhly~.
He I'(~plied: --~]nte that iR the l'HRe and T mn a
phyRician, pennit me to J~ee her so that I may jndge of her
('OJHliticm and offe1 rny Re1vices which I wm be only too glad
to give her:'' ~fadame Lenet laconically l'eplied: "On e
doetol' iR enongh.m He was not disconcerted and promised
tlt<1t he "\Wrnld not pres1ribe for l\fother de ~fatel, that he
wonld be satistied with merely seeing ber, if ~fadame Lenet
wonld only do him the favor of opening the doors to ldm
aR an old friend. Bnt all his emnest solicitations were in
vain.

'rhe hentment and (me of the saiutl.r snfferer were m

H('eordmice wlth theRe J)l'Ocedures. )'fother de Bly relates:
"In the te11 dnyR dnring which one w01thy :Xfothe1 was confined to her hed, ~fadarne Lenet, who wa~ prompt and libernl
onl,v in iefus~1l~, went to the expense of buying for her only
two Rmall iwtR of jelly, one chicken, and abont t"Tenty cents
wol'th of beef to nrnke broth for her." And yet she had the
nndncity to boast of the lfttle Rhe did as acts of great geneioRity. She e\ren went so far as to try to impress on the
w01thy }fothe1, ns if she hacl been a little child, the great11eR8 of the fay01s she was doing from her own bounty.
'Yi th her Ievolting vanity she kept repeating to her: "It iR
T m.rnelf' who give yon thiK It is I myseJf who bny for you
all tlrnt otl\el'~ Nl)l'Ve up to yon."~ 'fhe ~iste1~ vd10 heard her
talk in thiR way, we mo~t i11dig11m1t; they well knew thnt
fe little which she fnrnh;he<l was bouglit with m011ey thnt
helonged to the honRe mHl which 011 ly JW~Red tluongh ber
hmHl~.
Hnt th ey Rnppressed theil' feeli11;:-; leRt they might
p1m'oke mi ontlm1st i11 tlH) pl'esenee of the d em patient.
But ,\lot-li p1 de l\fn te l'R vi 1'111 e was a bove t lie Re vexltio11R, an c1 ..
:-;he suppmtP<l thcrn witli he1 own admi1"<thle ]><ttie1H'c. HowPve1 ~hP soou pe1TeY()d tlwt hc1 sikuee waR ialll HR an
i11<li<<ltion of meuta] wealrneRs~ she waR m1wi1li11g that the
1Ma1111 :-;c ript 1\TPmoir of Motl1 c> r <l p H ~ ly, Part Il , c h. XXXIX.
:! Jhi<l <.> m .

ON CALVAHY

547

g1eat act which was yet to be performed, shonld be clouded

y any dou bt regarding the full possession of her faculties
while she was executing it. She replied to Madame Lenet:
""Madame, how can yon assert that what yon give me cornes
from what is yours, since you are fully aware that yon have
brought nothing whatsoever but the desolation that is manifest on every side? Do you think that I forget that all the
temporal possessions of which my danghters have the en joyment, coine from myself who have gladly abdicated them
in their favor, so that they rnay devote themselves to the
honor and service of God, without any solicitnde aout the
necessaries of life, that all may know tha t, by the ;race of
Oocl, this couvent is one of the best endowed, and that families may place their daughters here without fear of exposing them to the penury which is seen in so nrn.ny ligions
. houses ~t the present time ?m
~fother de Bly continues: "'~L"'hese words marked w-th
so mnch firmness and good sense, for a while subdned the
haughtiness of Madame Lenet, who ieplied in a softened
tone: 'Pardon me_, Madame, if I have failed in the respect
"hich I owe yon. I am conscious of all that is due to you,
and I had no intention of doing anything tlrnt con1d di~
please you.' Rut these honeyed words came not from her
heart but only from her lips, and were only vaporings lo:-;t
on the air. On the :first occasion when there was question
of providing for the needs of the sick 1Vfothe1, she responded
011 ly with iefusals." 2
Tn spi te of the inept assurances of her physieian, :Mothe1
de I\Iatel made preparatious for her depmtnre. rl'lnee yeai:-;
hefore, when pneumonia had brought her 11ea r the gl'a n_~,
her dnughters, knowing how close \\'e1e her communications
with God, asked her if He had told her He wonld then call
her . to Himself and she replied: ''No, my daughters, I
hnye not yet suffered enough." 3 Now she po:-;itively a ffirmed
that she was to die soon and made repeated reqnest:-; that thP
hahit of the Order be given to her withont drlay. Rhe had
wol'll, under her secnlar dl'ess since ihe yem lf.-!4, a hnbit
1Manuscript Memoir of Mother cle Bly, Part lI , c l1. XXXIX.
2Ibiclem.
3Jhic1em, ch. XXXVIII .

5J8

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

blesse<l for her nse by the Abbot of Crisy, who was then
Sn11erio1 of the mo1rnRtery, but she had ber heart set upon
1cceiYii1g it according to all the prescriptions of the ceremonial of the Order.
~rhe Sisters' lrnstened to inform the Prior of the desires
of the venerable Foundress which they begged him to satisfy
lR soon as possible.
But he had other vlans, and although
the invitation was pressing, he did not corne on that day.
Other messages were dispatched to him, but, under the pretext of manifold occnpations, he did not m-rive t he next or
the day after that. He was then begged to delegate to anothe1 ectlesiastic the authorization to perform the ceremony.
He would not accede to this request. His pur1mse was to
waH n11til she was in the last extremity, in order to wri ng
from her before pronouncing ber vows, a renunci1tion of
the donation whic'h she had made to Sister Frances .G ravier.
Slie would thus incapacitate herself to make this conveyance
of property rights.
During these postponements the saintly ~fotber continued her earnest requests. Iler daughiers \ve1e unwill ing
to tell her the real motives of the Pri01's delays, and, not
knowing what reply to give to her questions they did not
dare to go into her presence. In their silence ber virtue
began to speak. Her humility suggested to he1 that the
Prior considered her unworthy of the religions profession
and that his delays were equivalent to a refusal. Her loYing
frnst vividly represented to her soul the ten<len1ess of hcr
beloved Sponse who knew the great desire shc had to die
in the livery of His holy Order. Her rcsignation ic11ewed
the f.'acrifice which she had often offered to Him, by awaiting God's own time foi receiving this consolation, and ~he
1e-entcrcd into the state of holy self-abandonment .in which
the I nrm1rnte 'Vord had so long wh~hed her to rcmai11, with
regard to this grace which shc desired so ardently. She
i-;nid : " Jf I am miworthy of tl1e profession, at least let
ihPm n()"ive me Holv
. Comn11111ion.m
jfadamc Lc11Pi \\'(\~ implo1cd 1o linn~ nie ltoly Yiaticum
hrnn;ld t o hp1 wliil<' thPy \\'<'l'P \\';li.i11g- 1'01 Oie P1ior to <.'.Orne
1 l\ J: 1 11 11 :-; <T

i p t l\ 1( nw i r o f 1\ 1o tl w r <l e B (1y . J> H r t I I .

c.; h

. X L.

O~

CALYAR

549

to the monastery.

But she refused under the mendacious

pretext that she had a scruple about perrnitting the chaplain
to ente1 the cloister. 'ro refuse thus all consolation to this
venerahlc })ersonage who ws clying, "~as cruelty cr.ring out
to Ileavcn. God was nmY to stretch forth His arm. His
Providence conld not fail the worthy )Iother "\Yho trustecl in
Hirn so eompletely. In the face of this opposition, Sister
Frances Gravier eoncefred the idca of asking religions aid
from the clergy of Saint-Sulpice, in whose parish the monastery was sitnatecl. To accomplish this they had recourse
to the inte1vention of )Iaclame Rousseau, an olcl friend of
Mother de latel. 1
'rhis ve11e1able wo11w11~ although of humble condition,
through her vfrtues and supernatnral lights had acquired
extraordinary ascendanc.r iu the capital, and particulmly in
. the sulrnrb of Saint-Germain in which she d\Yelt and the
reformation of ,~d1ich she had sought, during long years,
throngh her prayers and. penances. Gocl hearkened to her
petitions y granting to her the conversion of )[. Olier, the
instrument which He uRed to transform the suburb. 2
1See details about l.\Iother de ::\la tel and l\Iadame Rousseau, among
the documents in the appendix. Note H.
21\L Olier \Vrites:
"Although tha t poor woman is of lowly birth ,
she is the counsel and light, in Paris. of personages who are illustrions, on accoun t of their e xtraction, and of souls who are most
high in yirtue and grace. EYen princesses haYe recourse to her
counsels and recommend the success of most important ma tters to
her prayers. The Duchess of Orlea ns. the Princess of Cond. the
Duchesses of Aiguillon. of Elboeuf. and several other great ladies
consider themselves privileged when they are able to see her. I
know of a lady of rank who considered herself unworthy to approach
her. I am not acquainted \vith any holy souls \Vho do not consider
it a blessing to learn from her lips the ways they should follow in
order to go to God. Apostolic men and missionaries go to her to
lJe instructed. and I lla.ve neYer seen one coming out of' her hou~ e
without having lJeen ec1ified. \Yhen I see these seryants of God ancl
these apostolic men, whom God now gives to the Church (he cites.
among others. Father Eudes. Father de Condren, l\I. du Coudray,
etc.), going to consult this holy soul and making it a cluty to follow
her advice, I feel as if I saw the Blessed Virgin go\erning the Church
and all the Apostles after the Ascension of Our Lord. "
This holy woman always has the lowest opinion of herself and
sees nothing so miserable as herself in all th e works of God. According to her expression, she considered her body as a dunghill
and could not consent to see herself dr e ssed in new cloth e s. Sh e
never wore any but the ch eapest and commonest. Sh e liYed practically on leayings \Vhich could not be u s ecl by oth e rs. The knowledge
of her own nothingness or littleness macle her r e fus e eYerything.
Her grea t study was eY e r to imita te the Bless e d Yirgin and nnite
her in terior dispositions to th ose of tha t incomparable crea ture in
all her actions.
Life of l\1. Olier by ~1. Faillon. Yolume I. pages 340 and 36S .

550

L ll<' E OF .J E _\~XE CH EZ.\IW DE

~IATEL

~he was illdeed the eRt messeHge1 to wl10m such a mission eonld be entrnsted. Her 1eprest-ntations to the cle1gymen of Saint-Rnlpice were eom1>letely Ruccessfnl. In vain
<-lid ~Indmne Lenet at :first make opposition against the
vriest who came from Saint-Snlpiee, speaking either to the
Fonmlress or to any of ber dangh ters. 'l'he lleuedictine mm,
who had heell installed as vorfre~s, hnd been instructed to
reply to hirn that .:\Iother de ::\Intel wa:-; not so sick as some
wonld have him belien.:'. Fina11y she lrnd to eonsent to his
bringing the Yiaticum to her.
Tt wns to accomplish lll His promises, and to ful:fill them
in SJ)ite of all obstacles, that her dear Sponse now came to
her. 'l'he P1io1, who lwd been so nrgently solicited, shortly
afte1wanls aniYed. Instead of going to the Fonndress, he
went to the pal'lor of .Madame Lenet and had a long consultation with he1. Rister of the Blessed Raerament Allouis,
on h eal"ing thi~, eomageonsly presented he1self befo1 e him
to express her astonishment that he had allowed the illust rious sick woman to langnish for tlnee days withont respon ding to her ea 11 for spi ii tua 1 assistance . . . He a lleged
his occupations as h is excnse, lmt showed no disposition to
hasten , and begged he1 to leave the parlor as he needed to
eomplete bis eousultation with l\ladame T..ienet. Its purpose
\Yas cel'tainly not to find means of satisfying the desires
of the saintly Fonndress. But, He \Vho is omnipotent, He
'Yl10se words do not pn~s away, in spite of all their plottig
and mali ce, was now going to fm<e them to exec11te His owll
p1orni ses.
'Vhile they were tlrn~ tonfening, ::\Iadnrne Hous~enn cmne
to the monaste1y to inqnin~ ahont ~Iother de Matel, and,
learning tha t the Prim \\'f;; ii1 the pa1l01, she went to req1wst ]Pe1missicm to e111, in 01'<lp1 to ~<e and to alleviate
11 ie <011diti on of Jtp1 sic k f1i<>1 t<l. ~l l<la 111P Len et vocife1on sly
1<f11sP<l. hui- 1>orn 'l'ixip1, unwillillg to offen<l ~lt<lamc HonsSPl11 <t11<l f'<;ning t.lt<ti ~he wonl<l ~p1<)<1<1 tlt<> inf01mntion fm
llHl \\' <lP, :t<'<'<)<lP<l to lte1 1<q1wsL
11 <1 m l'i rn l 1eNton~ <l lt op< 1o 1h e ~isk1s w lt o fp l t tlw t
1ltis wn< 11ble wo11in11 wonld fi11nll,r p1evail on the P1ior to

OY C_\.LL\.RY

551

fnltill hi:-; dut.Y. The,\ gathNe arouncl he1 and told her of
the de~fre of their ~aintl.' Jfother nncl ilf the postponemenrs
i11 g1nnting her re<Jue~t. aud beggecl her to he111 them in puttiug a stop to :--uch cle1ays. )[m.' Hou~seau "eut to the bedsiclc of the patient aucl ~nid: "llow me you '?"-.. Yer.' ill. and
they will not belieYe it.''-"~ly dear ~Iother. do yon "ish to
die vdthont ha-ving recei\ed the habit of the lnearnate \\~ord
\Yhi ch you ha-\e gi\en to yonr c1aughte1~ ?"-.. Oh! ~Iadame.
I ha-\e begged for it so man.' times. but as ~-e t lrnYe not been
able to obtain the permission of the Father P1ior. Donbtless he jndges me unworth~- of it. I submit to the orders
of God. He knows what a sae1ifice it \Yas for me not to
ieeeiYe the habit '"heu T "as giYing the Yeil to the first
daughters of the Orcler. B:- Hi:-: g:raee. I hme a1'nl.,\S persevered in the clesl'e to become a religions a t the time ''hi ch
"ould vJense Hirn. ~Ia.' IIe accomplish in me His own de:-:ign~. in the manne1 which He fiuds to be the most i1roper.
I lrnYe no will but His. :Jfadame. beg Him to lrnYe merey
n pon me. " 1
Snch perfect dispositions toud1ec1 the heart of that nrtnons woman. She tnrned to the Prior and expressed her
surprise at the little haste he sho\Yecl in granting to the
Fonndress of an Orcle1 " bat. iu a simi1m case. \ronlcl not
be refnsed to the 1o"1iest postulant "-ho desl'ed to die in
the holy habit of a religious. m1d she m~ecl him so strongly
to begin the ceremon.' "ithont fmther dehl.y that it \Yas impossible for him to clefer it nn.' longer. Therefore he was
foreed to pe1form his c1nty. This "- a~ so far from hi~ intention tha t he hacl not eyen notifiecl the confe~sor and was
about to }Jerfo1n the ceiemony witl10ut \Yitnes~ 01 assistant.
Hnt Gocl had ino-ddecl fot e\Tery exige11cy.

At that Yery moment~ the p01ne:-:s cnme in to am10m1ce

that JI. :Xormandean, r1ior of Saint JJichael. 1eqne:'ted to
see the ~Iother Foundres~ , and Dom Tixier told he1 to b1ing
him in. so that he might act as assistai1t. The Yisito1s nnme
\Yas well known, but uot ti11 Dom TixiPr :'a\Y him clid be
recognize him as a relative of ~fothe1 de Hly. A few da:s
i::\Ianus c ript ::\Iemo ir of : \Iot her cl e B l y. P a rt II . ch . XL.

552

LIFE OF

.JE.\~XE

CIIEZAilD DE

~L\TEL

preyjons, lie hn(l eome to the . . \bbcy of Saiut-Gennain, with

a mc~sage from ht'l'. Dom 1-,ixier "'H8 vety rnnch distnrbed
when he notieetl hi~ mistake and would han~ grea tly desired
to take lJaek his inYitation. Ileing unable to do this, he
e11deayo1ed to hasten the departure of this unexpected
dsito1 wl10se anival, so mortifying to him, was a consolation devised by the Divine Goodness for the wotthy ~Iothet
arnl for her exiled danghter whom he was to re1Jtesent in
theNe solemn cfrcumstnnces.
Fm thirty :rems, namely, since the founding of her fst
mouuNte1y a t Avignon, l\Iother de l\fa tel had not seen him.
However she was in such full possession of her faculties
that she recognized him at once. After having expressed to
hirn her joy at seeing hirn again, and her distress at the
present state of ber monastery, and at the absence of her
dear daughter de Rly, she begged hirn to allow ber to
nnburden her sonl. The spectacle then presented to the
view of the worthy priest in the beauty of the soul which
was opened to him, touched him so deeply tlrnt he conld 11ot
repress his tears. He said afterwar<l.8 tha t he had 11eye1 feJ t
such interior unction as during the short while when she was
telUng hirn of her interior dispositions. lu orJer to prolong
his owu happines~, he offered to assist at il1e lH~dside or the
saintly patient duriug that night, but the iuq1ntient l'rior,
displensed at the pl'olonged interview, j nte1111 pted them
ahn1ptly.
)Ioreover it was necessary to make haste to proceed to
the ceremony of investing with the holy habit.

CHAPTER XXIX

It Is Consummated
1670
The Incarnc_lte \Yord ,,-as now at last to fuHHl \d1m Ile
hacl so often announced and what He explicitl: statec1. se\enteen :ears before, on the clay of the feast nf 8t. Paul. the
first heunit. in the :ear 1633. ~Iother de ~fatel. after admiring the hap1Jiness which the illustrions Saint enjo>e(1
in lJi:;:. de:--:ert abocle. a:--ked Our T.. ord. in her saclnes~ . when
,,-onld it at length be grantec1 to her to 11lace between the
\Yorld ai1d hersel the banjer of the re1ig:ions habit and profession'? That Dinne :Jfaster then said to her: .. Dearest.
do not distress thyself. I wore the white robe only whil
1 Yrn~ going back from Herocl to Pila te. and the mantle of
1mrple onl>- when appearing as the ~fa.n of Sono\YS before
1 he e:'es of all the people who cried out. Crucif: Him '.'
Crucify Hirn '.' The man tle was remoYecl and I \\as again
clothed 1 ~Iy o\\-n garrnents while carr;dng the cross. so
that I might then be recognized b: all. Therefore. ~Iy
flaughter. thou must not feel distre~sed if thon \\-earest the
white and red habit only a short \\hile. to manifest that
thon art one "-ho. by ~Iy \\ill. hast sho\\-n it to the \\rld
and 2'iYen it to ~Iy daughters. ET"en if thon wearest e:s:teriorly this hol,' habit only during thy passage from this
Jife to the ne~:t: do not be distres~ed. Thon art clothed
with ~ry blond: thon art c1nthed witlt thy .J e~us erucifiecl. a:-;
1 foreto1 d. The Roly Spirit can consume. b; His flame.
the holocaust thon offereH by desire: up to the day when
tlwu \\-ilt be consnrnmated in Him \\-hom thon loT"est and
'Ylw first lm-ed thee. He leads thee b: His goodness. and
fuJloy,-s thee b: His mercy. " 1
.\Il \Yas prophetic in these word:'. not onl: in their lite1a1 ~ense l'ut in their far Lleeper sense. al1 " -as \erified.
I . jke lier adorable Jiodel. she ,,-as to \Year the red and ,dlit e
L\.ut o g r a p h i c Li fe . ch . CXXYII I.

554

Lll<'T~

OF

. rn.\X~FJ

CJIJ<:jl;.\HD nE

~L\TEL

hnit only n sh01i whilP. Slte liad to cany her henvy cross
~md elirnb her pninf'nl Caln11-.'', siTippP<l of the p1e~tige and
authol'ity " ' hich wouh1 h<we lJe(_)ll nssmpd hy tlH) ieligious
lwbit m1d p1ofe:-;;:-;;ion. It "'a:-;; mily dnri11g thP passage from
th is li fe i o t lie 11exi th nt i he ho 1orn nst of' lt(_1:-;;el f, so long
hefo1e <011s1rnH d li: the 1-lfl 111PN of i lie ~pfrit of Loye and
nceepit <l in 11 PH n~n a~ <tn odm of Nw<-etnes:-;;, wa:-;; to he known
:md conti1me<l on pmth ~ m1<1 tlt:lt she, who liad ueen inte1i011y dotlwd with Chl'i:-;;t e1nl'ified and emiehed with His
ul OO<l nud H N rne1i ts, "'(\S to l'C('CYe the extcrnnl sym bol.
~Ioi he1 de 1~(ly !-'ay~: '"'J'h(n bt)gnn the cc1emony of
,-lotlii11g wiil1 thP holy habit, the rno~t wo1ihy posilllaut
whorn t11e 01<1<1 nl' ilie Tnemnnte \Yoid en.:.1 hnd 1eceiYed
1
01 will 1ecein.."
'r11e pnblie immobtio11 of ihiN w01thy m1d
~ai11t1y Yietim wn:-;; Nignnlized by n svccial and Ye1y nnus1rn]
~olem1tity. In ,1ef'a11li of the :-;;nered pomp nnd the presencr
of g1(nt p en;o11ag<N, wliich <lonbilr:-;;s won]<1 lrnn added to
i ts splc1H.l01, h ad i t heeH pl~1 fon nP< l n 11 der 110111w 1 eondi tions,
mo;-.;t or the g1eat 01"<ll-'l'S "p1e tlte1e 1ep1e:w11tetl. Siste1s
of Rt. BenPdid, 8t. B1ernlm1, ~t. F1a11eis, RL lT1:;.;nln, and
f~,rno11p~~es [llld ... \111rn11cindes WPI'f' kmeli])g rnomHl her be<l
with 1Jp1 mni <bnghte1s nrn1 nfierwards CP1-ti1ied in n11
oftiri:1l <loc1111w11t il1ni they hn<l be(_11 witnesscs of this grent
aet m1d lind lwPn 1)]'ofmrndly C<lifd hy the fery01 '\Yth
'''h id1 sh(_l pe1fo1rnP<l it, as also hy tlte sn pedrn rnan Yl'tnes
'\d1ic11 ihey hnt1se(_'ll11e1 p1ndiei11g nll tlte iime thnt they
ltnc1 fp ltnppi11P~N of l\' ng near he1-.~
TlHhed th<- pions ~fotl1e1 , all pe1wti-nted with the deep
Nell Ne of the gnH(_ wh ich wa:-;; r01lfe11pd npon her nnd of
wltif'h slir so wP11 <01111Hel1(_l11<1r<1 ihe Ynhw, seemetl to t'o1;et
J1p1 s11ffe1ing:-;;, :rnd l'PNJHm<l< <1 to P''el',Ything with n 1nescme
of' rni11<1 1110:-;;i Nmp1i:-;;ing i11 011p 1t)dnct d to the b1~t extrern ii-y . 111 onl<>1 io p1pnl1li ihe .:\fofp1 . . \s:-;;i:-;;tmit, who wrn~
i11 gT(:t1 <hPad of 111<~ F:l1hp1 P1i01 m1d ~ln<1mne L<>net, from
:tllowing ifolt :dic11 ~ll]J<l1i01 e~s io clothc the venerahle
Jl(n'<'P wi1h ilH li:thit of (hp frn1111:dP 'Yord, ~f;ter of the
HleNS< <l ~:1rl'<llll<>1d ,\ llouiN~ :tl111011glt the ,Yom1ge~t of the
1

1~ 1<1 nmw r i 11l l\ l e moi1 of l\lotlh' J'

:!~eP J )0(' 11111< 111 ::::, llOi t> l.

<l e

l~ l ~ .

cil. XL.

IT IS

COXSU~DL\TED

p1ofes~ed,

adl'oitly took the place nearest to the Pri01, and,

a~ he hlessecl eaeh one of the al"ticles of dothing, she took
it jn he1 hmHl~ and g<we i t to lthe w01thy .Jiothe1 whom she
tlrns had the hon01 and j o~: of in~sting. ~\rcording to the
choice whil'h she hnd mn<1e a long time before, the venerable )Jofer ieeiye,l, ns hel' nnme in religion, Rister )fary
of .Jesus.
The 1ast praye1s hacl ~careely been endecl when Dom
Tixier approached the Prior of Saint -:\Iichael and, as
.Jiothel' de Bl_y snys, "'nnder the lnetext of civility, made
him walk to the door and did not leave him nntil he had
c108sed the tlneshold and the door wn~ closecl behind him.'' 1
\Yth his mill(l easy on this point, he enten~d the parlor of
~ra dame Len et to t011fer with her, while the mem bers of the
commlmity e1mnled mom1d their belun <1 Mother, to con. gratnlate her and feast theil' eyes on her conntenanee, while
h e1 soul was a ln~oil >ecl in <3 o<l. rrhey sni d to lier: '"Y on
appem to be enjoyiHg gn~ at satisfaction, now that :you are
in possession of wha t yolll lwal't so clesi1ed. ~' She repUed:
"lt is trne that, eorn.;ideri11g the mercy whith Go<l bas shown
me to-clay, I feel a jo,Y that cannot be expresse(]. It would
he at it~ height if, by the imbli c }H'ofession whieh remains
to he made by me, l had complete<l what is lacking in my
~acrifice, as to its fo1m." ~ Ber dnughte1s 1nomjsecl to urge
the Pri01: to accede to hei desfres. She added: '' ou woulcl
do me a gieat Jjlea:-.;ure by losi11g no tirne."'.:!
They hastened to execnte hl,l' w;h. Sister of the Blessed
8ncrarne11t ~ \1loni~ weni irnmedintely to the pal"lor and informed the Prim of the desire of the clying Foundress.
But he ieplied only by objections. His purpose was
not to nccede to this iequest until she had retracted
the deed of donation "~hich had been macle in favo1
of Sister Frnrnl'~ nradel'. \Yith ihis end in Yiew, he was
not ashame,d io have her imporilml,d h1 fis snpreme moment by He"~ dernall(lS. The Raintly .Jiothe1 tlrns ljlaced
hetween the two crnel altel'nati vcs of treache1y to he1 conseienc and to the inte1e~ts of her daughters_, and the de1

11\fanuscript l\/Iemoir of l\1other c1e Bly, ch. XL.

Part 11, cll. XL.

'.:!lbiclem,

55G

LIFE OU' JEANNE CHEZ.\nD DE J.\I.A'l'EL

suction of her life'~ hove, fonml, in the heroism of her

faith and confidence in God, the strength to await the
1ealiz~-.tion of His promi~es ";thont being eompelled to pnrehase it by a towardl:_y compromise. She was not to be
deceived.
'Vhile her soul was aandoning itself in humble adoration to God these erncial tests affected her pbysically. A
violent relapse into fever incluced snch complete prostration
that her danghte1s saw the end was near, and that it was
full time for her to receive the last sacraments. To tell
hei this was not a difficnlt task, for, as J\fother de Bly
says, " She desired nothing so earnestly as the reception of
lier Gocl in the Roly Sacrament of the Altar, except the
announcement of the blessed moment which wonld secure
for her the eternal possession of Him." And, in fact, this
announcernent :filled ber with consolation and even seemed
t o restore ber strength. She began immedia tel y to make
numerons interior and exterior acts to prepare her soul more
perfectly for the reception of this final rnercy of ber Savior.
Her p1esence of mind was perfed. N othing seemed to ...
escape he1 notice. She confessed again, al though she had
been to confession that morning. She askecl for the general absolution and the indulgence at the honr of death
whieh had been granted to ber by Pope Urban VIII. She
begged the commnnity's pardon, in terms of p1ofonnd hnmility, and declared that she died in the faith of holy
l\Iother Clrnrch. "She again exJ10rted :Madame Lenet to enter
jnto herself and remedy by all possible means the trouble
she had caused by ber ambit ion.m At the request of the
Confessor, she again gave ber blessing to all ber danghter s present and absent, and then received Extreme Unction,
1esponding wHh gl'eat attention and devotion to the prayers
1eci ted by the priest.
As th ese cc1crnoni es wel'C ending, it was mmonnced that
1he A hl> Colomhet wns at the door of the couvent and asked
t o be allowcd to cnte1, lwcause lte lrnd ohtnincd, from the
P1jm of 8aint-Ue1mni11 , ilte a11tho1iJ';ation to rcceive the
1

'

'

t l\1a n 11 f;cr ip t l\Tc m oir o( Moth e r ll c H ly , Part If, c h. XLT.

IT IS COX SU ,.\l ,.\L\.'l'ED

557

profesRion of the saintly nodce. ~Phis news illnmined wi th

joy the tear-stained faeeR of the clanghters of )!other de
:Jiatel. This viRitor was an eminent ecclesiastic of the diocese of Lyons and an olcl friencl of the Fonndress. He had
corne to Pa1is a few clays before and hacl desired to see he1
and hacl lemnecl from her danghters how harcl-hearted Dom
Tixier hacl been towards her. He hacl sympathizecl with
the.m in thefr jm:t indignation, and hacl promisecl to do all
in his power to satisfy the longings of their holy :Jiother.
J n fact, on his way back to the monastery he hacl met the
Prior, had asked him abont the condition of the venerable
patient and, having learuecl that the Prior had just given
her the holy habit he a,sked his anthorization to enter the
cloister and receiYe he1 profe~sion in case the danger of
cleath heeame imminent. Gocl who holds in His hands all
hearts had inclinecl that of this Snperior to grnnt "'"'hat he
hacl refusecl but a moment befcne .
. 'J'he necessary p1 eparations were macle with haste, while
the Abb Colombet " as eonferring with the saintly Mother
who was enrapturecl with admiration and gratitude for the
ficlelit~ with whieh her Dfrine Spouse was keeping all the
promises He hacl made to her. \Yhen everyth1ng had heen preparecl and the eommunity and the nuns of the Orders enumera ted a bme ha cl assembled, the ceremony commenced. I t
"''as presicled over by the Abb Colombet, who "'"'as assisted
by the eonfessor of the house. In the extremity to whirh
the w01thy :Jiother was reducecl, her attention and fervor
struck all who were present. She paicl no attention to
her mn1 sufferings. Her soul Reemed to be released from
its crnmbling, m01tal prison and to be occnpied only with
sealing hefore the CJnnch the contract of the clfrine nuptials
whieh she "~as soon going to celebrate in Heaven. She
asked to be aclmitted to JJl'Ofession, 1espondecl to the interrogations of the celebrant, prononncecl the formula of the
vmys an cl the praye1s prescr-i bed by the ceremonia1, with
- sneh Jiye]y sentiments of piety, that all present thought
that the I nenrnate YVord had made Himself sensibl~,. pres-

5G8

LIFI~

OF' .JE.\~~E CI-rn~.\nD DE )fATL

ent to His dear sponse to iereiYe he1 holoca.ust. rl'he cere

mo11y being over. such was the jnhilatio11 of her sonl, thnt
she even fonnd sfre11gth to recitc~ the Tc Deum.
T'his im1eell was the song that best snited that honr
which se0med so ~ad. 'rhe great act which she hacl now
aceomplished, was the crowning of her life patterned after
that of the Tncarnate 'Yord. Like her adorable Prototype. she had heard her Hosanna and her Talle, and hacl
ltad her 'fhabor and he1 Calvaiy. .J esus Christ, the Priest
f01eve1. whose life was but one long Mass of thirty-tlnee
years, 011ly on the eve of His death offered the Eucharistie
8ac1ifiee which His ::\linisters have the consolation of celehrating every clay. J n a similm 'vay, whereas hr danghters eon ld renew their holy vows thousand times in the
joy of their heait, the sailltly Mothei received the blessed
livery with which she clothed them and which drew down
n pon them so rnaiiy g1aces to aid them to ieprodnre their
l >ivine )foclel, and she pronounced these same holy vows
only after sonow and love had completed her transfo1mation into her Incarnate Yf ord and when it remained for
her only to b1eathe her last sigh and say with Him: It is
cowmmmatcd !
'fhe new aud saintly JH'ofessed had eminent Irnowledge
of all ~he duties assnmed by the solemn consecration which
she had now made. In the spirit of obedience, she took all
the medicines presented hy the infirmarian withont manifestjng an;v repngnanee, although, in her heart, she had
no confidence in the ])resc1iptions of the physici,an who
had been seleded by Madame J.. enet. She received wHh
hnmble thanks and like one truly poor, every service which
was rendered to he1, so that no one couM approach her
bed withont h0ing most profoundly edified.
. 'l'he commln tion 0Yend1elming her son 1 aftl~1 she had
1ealizcd tl1e de:-;i1e of he1 wholc life, waH :-;o ;1ent tJuit it
showcd j.:elf in hcr body. ller condition irnp10,cd visibl,r.
Hhc had Ill appetite fo1 the 110nl'ishment which wns pre~Pnied to hPr, arn1 the pl1ysician. comiHg in a few moments
:1 rt<~r, Jom1<1 hel' rn11eh hei iel'. To i hc Sifdc1s "'ho toM

. lT lS

CO~SL\DL\TED

559

him of their alarms of the afternuon , he repliec1 that the

Foundress showed no sign of the proximity of death. and
that he hoped her illness would not be fatal. RoweYer
he made a prescription whose efect he assured, "ould he
infallible. He wrote it in Latin. This was especiall~
noted as it was contrary to the u~age of that time and
could giYe occasion for criti eisms.
A bon t se,en o clock in the eyening, the YOlrn g Sister
3Ia1y Anne du Bcy, who was a relatfre of tl~e Fo;mdress.
seeing lier bette1, tried to dfrert her by chatting with
her and sairl: ~ne,erend 1Iother. how happy you are no\Y
in the possession of \Yhat :onr heart has so long desirec1.
I hopr, no" that you~ haYe made your holy profession,
you \Yill gTO\Y better and hetter and that y on \\ill see
that T \Yill be allo\Yed to make my 0\\11 profession.'' .. )Jy
. dangl1ter.'' replied the goocl ::)fother. "if it be the will of
God for me to eontribnte to gfring yon that consolation.
r shall be most hapm to do it. A1H1 I promise you to
clo all iu my power to aecomplish this. if H e restores my
bealth. Rut. fo1 the p1esent, pray only for the aecom plishrnent of His designs npon me and for me to ha\e
no wm but His, \Yhich we must 10\e abo\e all things and
as much as we loYe Him. " 1
At that moment. )Iadame Lenet entered the sick-room.
Her face was fiaming \Yth fnry nt not haYing been able
to procure. before the profession of )Iother de )Iatel, the
ietraction of her donation made in fa\or of Sister France~
G1ayier. She not onl~ broke in on their c01ffersation, but
;aye full Yent to her bad temver. \Yth brnsqneness she
tontradieted eYer~thing that was said to her. She raged
parti cul arl,Y against the poor secretar~ \d10111 she i 11-trea ted
habitnall;y, but against whom she nm\ shmYed more re:-;entment than eYer. Each re1woaeh. each ffectfre shot
forth at this dear daughter. pierced with ci S\Yorc1 th e
heart of the yenerable ~Iother who only united h e1self
more closel.' to her Loye in His agony. and offere(l to Him
as :-;he said, these painful wounds to honor those \Yith
i::\Ianus c ript -:\I e m o ir of -:\I o th er cle Bly. Part II , ch. XLI.

560

LIFE OF JE.\.NNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

which He i1errnitted Bis ho1y Hmnanitr to be . torn. and

val'tienlarly the wonnd whieh opened His Sncred :emt.
Roou after this sce11e, which was not calculnted to
give alleviation to the saintly patient. she was given the
remedy which hacl been prescribed by the physician. She
h ad scmcely taken jt. when the fever became intense and
he1 snfferings gre"T tenihle. All her desolate family assembled armrncl her and helieved that lier last moments
had anived. However the great pains grew a little Jess
acnte for a while, lmt not oue of the Sisters was willing
-to 1etire to take nny rest. They conld not go to a distance
from the con eh on "Thieh their Yenerable l\Iother was ~m ffe1iHg and they feared thnt nnother crisis W'Ould be fatal.
However, towaids ten o'clock, her pulse and the Yitnlity
ap1mrent in he1 eyes showed no symptoms of the proximity
of death, and the confessor aclvisecl them to retire and
inomised to reeall them at the ftrst appearance of any
irnrnediate dnnp.'el'. Theu all left their denr l\Iother, with
the exceptio11 of Sister Frances GI'avier nnd Rister of the
Holy Ghost dn Hry.
At eleven o 'clock, the latter, while kneeling by the bed
of hel' vene1ated )fothe1, heard her sny in a firm tone of
voi('e the \YOrds: '":No, no, I do not wish H." She thought
ihat tht> saii1tly 1mtient w~1s sleepiug and talking in a
<lrenm. Bnt she henrd 1ie1 1epent: "No . no, I do not
wif.\h ii ~ and Nhe tlien snid to her in a low whisper Ro
aR uot io a wnken he1 if she \Yere sleepiBg: "'Reverend
}fofe1, w11at iN it tl1nt yon do uot wiRh '?" "3Iy dm1ghter.
it i:-; Rin tlwt 1 do iwt "'Nh/' nplied the clyi11: ~Iothe1.
The, enerny of Nahatio11 wns tryi11g to mnke a frnl a~snnlt.
I Ie1 <fanghte1s heliPve<l Oiat the <lemo11 waN trying to ernbitter
lit 1 f'onl m1d 1ill it with l'CNent11H,1li- agairn~t her pe1Rec11to1N. lfr <'Olll<l 11oi S1H'f'()el i11 infuNllg' liis rnrsed poiN011
i11io f:li lH,:tl't whicli WHN fillel to O\'p1tJowin: wif the
h:tlrn ol' ('h;nity ;rn<l ilH> lllld ion or thP 1Ioly Rpi1iL 'J'lrn~
ilH, vicjo1y w:t:-: \\'Oil hy divi1H' lovP which h<ul rn:ule a <011
q1wi-;1 of Jip1 wholP hei11g :nul lir1 whole life.
, \ liiil<> :1f'l<>l'\\':ll'<lf', j)ip1p \\'\N N\\'('(>{- f'Pl'fllli,Y ll tJie
1

]Jl(>:IJllP1l1N

ol' llPI'

('OllltlPll:lJ)('(l,

:tll<l

~Jtr ~rr11w<l Hh~ol'hP<l

5Gl

IT IS COXS-C :.U ~L1-TED

in a delightful rapture. As Sister Franc-es G1aYier ap1noached the beclside. jfother de :.Jiatel said: "Jesus C'Jni~- t.
His holy :.Jiother, and St. Joseph are present here. Do
you not see them '? They are in-fiting me to go with them
and enj oy eternal rest. ~ 1 After these words she resumecl
her silent and celestial contemplation. A clinne beauty
illumineil ber features \\ith the first rays of beatitucle. The
Sisters could scarce1y turn their eyes frorn her face. But.
as they sa w her radiant -nith such peace and happiness.
they coulcl not belieYe that their :.Jiother was nearing her
last moments. Hff\YeYer. the dawning of the eternal clay
-nTas alreacly beaming upon her. TO-\"\-ards one o'clock. the:
obser\ecl that her pulse was \\eakening and inforrned the
confessm, who sent for the community. He approached
the dying saint and asked if she desired to recefre absolution. She replied in the affirma \e, for she still ha cl
the use of her senses and of all her faculties. After she
had once more \\ashed her soul in the blood of our Sa\ior.
she \\ished to copy Ilim in cleath as she had done in life.
and repeatecl se\eral times: In m-a nus tuas. Domin e.
comm cndo spiritum meum. 'Into Thy hands. 0 I.orcl. 1
commend my spiriV'
At that moment~ her daughters entered the roorn and
knelt around her bed. The priest began the recitation of
the last prayers. '\Yhile eYery eye was filled \Yith tears and
lo-dngly :fh:ecl upon the beaming face of their :.Jiother. ~ot
a :-:ing1e contraction or groan inclicatecl the final ~nuggle
bet"Teen life and cleath. Her biographer sa~- s : "She ~e e m e c1.
not in her agony. but in her meclitation.'~
The supreme moment hacl corne. Tlle lips of tlle Yenerated dying :.Jfother pronounced three times the hol: name
of .J esn~. and. a few minute~ afterwarcls she brea thed her
1ast. The bride h ad callecl the Bridegronm nncl H e lia cl
corne in i:er:'on to take he1 awa:- \Yith Him. He lrncl corne
to take that be]oyec1 ~onl to consnmmate in h er the designs
2

1::.\I anu.._.;; cr i pt ::..\ Iemo i r of ::..\ Iot he r cle Bly. P an I I. ch . X L I I.

~ I b i dem.

LIFE OF .JE.\XXE CHEZ.\.Im DE

~L\.TEL

of His meny. After lwvin; mlited her to Himself in His

labors, humiliations, sufferings, He wished to associate he1
'tith Hinu;;elf, in His beatitnde aud His glory.
'Phis was the ftrst hour of the Tlrnrsday of September
11, 1G70. 'rI1e venerab1e Foundress had spent on this earth
7;1 yems, 10 mouths and 5 days.
Ile1 daughters, prosfrate aronnd her fnnernl eonch, still
<lonhted about the reality of thefr great loss. Death had
not marked the holy remains of their Mother with the
imprint of his w01k. H er complexion was iose-colorerl a11d,
until her bmial stole her away from their gaze, it retaine
its freshnes-s and her lirnbs kept thefr tlexibility. But
lier heart, tlrnt heal't which had con:-;oled, protected, and
]oyed them, had cem;\ed to beat !
'l"'heir il'reparable
loss \\'as on1y too frue. And how se,re1e it was ! To lose
~ueh a )lothe1-, and to lose he1 i11 the preseut Cl'itical sitnntio11 of theii nnf01tn11a te rnmrnstery, was the depth of
desolntion. Thei1 sadnes~ was exfreme. 'rhefr tears and
soh~ we1e snfJ'ocating.
Thei1 henrts were broken. There
wrn;.; J1ot one of them who wonld not have preferred to sac1ifke he1 ow11 life Jnther thm1 see this incomparable ~Iother
snatehe<l awny. Bnt sn('h \YHS the dispensation of God,
mHl they had to be snbrnissive to His impenetrable de~igus,
eYel' ]nfallihly me1cifn1, no matte1 hmY hard they we1e
in ap1wmance. ~f01eove1, was uot this l\Iotlier, so hitterly
111011rned. now more pmye1fnl than ever to aid them to
hem thei1 frinls? 'J1lie1e l'emained for them many frib11 b1ti011s to he endnred. A\nd if they were snppol'ti11g them
wltli ~nd1 ielig:ionR nnd he1oie ton~tancy, mm~t they 11ot
ie<"og11i~P the a~si~hrnee of her mntenwl hnncl, whitli f'llSinine<l tl1em frorn the height of Heave11?
111 lhP rni<l~t of tliPi1 p1'0f01rnd affliction, tlw ~ii-;ip1N
wp1p 11oi 1'01gptf11l of thP la:;.;i honm~ dne to the venerated
1'(111:ti11~ of ih<>i1 :\foihe1, to ihP holy spoilR whid1 <leath
i t~P H :--:<< rne<l i o l'C~pect. 'Yh ile ROlll<' \YPl'P <'l ofi ng he1
i11 the l1nbii of tl1P 01<le1, to l;1y hPr out in the <"hoi1. othp1~
".<'1'<' i-;p<11di11g- 1IH' l:1~t- homR of' th nt ~ad night in \\Titi11g
10 1Ji (l p 1' Il (' JI :li f l ' fl 11(l ~ 0 !' t J1P Ill 0 Il <l ~ h) l',Y t 0 j 111 p <ll' f- t 0
1

rr rn

CO~SUl\J

::\lATED

Reverend Mother Jeanne Chezard de Ma tel. Foundress of the

Order of the Incarna t e \Yord. Di e d in th e odor of sa n c tity, a t Paris,
September 11, 1670.

them the news of the misfo1tune with wllich they had beeu
smitten ancl to 111Yite them to the obseqnies of their
Poundre~s.
ln spite of the arbimy a11d oppressive use
which l\fadarne LP11et had made of lier ]tmYe1, they had
not suspecte<1 her of eing capable of carrying her ty1auny
and injustice so far as to preven t these measnres. But
this '~ras what she did. She refnsed to send out the letters
wl'itten by the Risteis, bnt enrly i11 the morning she sent

5G4

LIFE OF' JE.\.X~E CHEZ.\UD DE M .\'!'EL

a me~sagc to the Pl'ior, i.o inform him of the death of

l\fother de 1\Jatel and beg him to have sea1s p1aced on eve1ything she had had for her use. ~rhis act -w as illegal, because before her death, she had abdieated all propel'ty
rights by her profession. However, the Pri01 made it
his duty to - execute this measure.
The Sisters had found means to ask l\Jadame de Carra(.
thefr neighbo1, to send an ai-tist to reproduce the feattues
of the venera ted l\Iother, and a surgeon to extra et her heart
which they wished to donate to the monastery of TAyons
which was so specially dear to that motherly heart . . rrhe
artist, the surgeon, and a commissary anived at the smne
moment at the door of the cloister. But :Madame J_.enet \YOnld
not permit the surgeon to enter. He was obliged to go a wa.v~
lmt came back sere1al times. The Sisters declared that
they would prevent the burial until their request had been
complied with. But this was all in yain. Nothing could
overcome her obstinacy.
At five o'clock in the mo1ning, the tolling of the three
rnonastery bells hacl borne to Mother de Bly, in her distant exile in the couvent of Liesse, the sorrowful tidings
of the loss of her good l\lother. Like her Sisters in religion, slte had found in her filial love the courage to make
a truce with her own extreme desolation, to send to the
nearest friends of the holy Foundress the sad news of
her death.
She wrote to her cousin, the Prio.r of Saint 1\Iichael,
the same who, the evening hefore, had assisted at the i11vesting of the venerable l\lother. She says: 'I begged
him to go to our convent to console our Sisters as we1l
as he could. I wrote to :\Iadame de la Chambre, requesting that her son, who was Cur of Saint Rartholomew,
should perfo1m the ceremony of the bmial of our dear
drceaRe(_L I commif-isioued her ah;o to notify the ChaucP1lor miel his wifc that Heaven had snatched away from
11~ om Hevc1e])(] l\l othm Foundress.
I n1so wrote to one
of the Failler P1io1fl friernls wl10 had aded as the agent
of' thr wornm1 who wnR in rom11rn11d i11 0111 c011vent, nll(l


IT IS

CO~SG:JI :JIATED

5G5

asked him to obtain her ve1missio11 for the body of onr

n?neratecl cleee-asecl to lw plaeecl 1 a coffin of leacl. I
was not a wme that 0111 8i~ter France~ GrRvier had aheady
asked our Sisters to do all in feir pmYer in this direction. bnt that the~T hacl not been able to obtain the consent of th ose in antho1i (L )Iy efforts and theirs we1e
nseless. Re) to \Yhom I ga Ye my letters, had receiYed
a secret orcler from my P1ioress to giYe her my letters
and she keJJt them in orcler to oblige the Prior of SaintGermain.m
As it is seen, e\en death conld not put a stop to injustices and vexations. It seemed as if the hatred of the persecutors wished to bury, fo1eyer in the tomb, even the
memory of the saintly )lother. If they coulcl not reach
so far as this. they macle eYery effort at least to lessen
the prestige whieh the deceased hacl enjoyed cluring ber
life. At the news 'Yhich sudc1en1y spread of the cleath
of her who was Yenerated by all. a great multitude hastenecl
to gaze with Rvidit:r on the \enerated remains and inYaded the chapel as soon as the body was laid out there.
\Yith great difficuJty. the daughters of _)Iotller de )Iatel
had obtainecl permission to drape the clmrch and the choir
in black, and to hang aboYe the bier a piece of card-board
on ".,.hich "Tas painted the coat of mms of the Ortler of
the Incarnate \Yord: "the name of J esns abo-ve a heart
pierced with tllree nails, and the whole snrronnded with
a crown of plaitecl tho1ns." Six candles were lighted
around the coq~e, and some priests who were fr1ends perfo1med the fnnerl se1dee. )fother de Bly says: ''That
was all the pomp of the honors renderecl to the Foundress
and Supe1ioress of the Order of the Incarnate \\Tord.~ '
From the midst of the nowd ~which pressed around
the -venerated deceasecl, there arose demonstrations which
" . .ere varied but significant and sincere.
Sorne loudly
proclaimed the graces which the.r had obtained through
her prayers. Others implored ber protection. All boldly
accnsecl Madame Lenet as responsible for her death, and
1::\Ianuscript::\Iemoir of ::\lother cle Bly, Part II, ch. XLII.

L IFE OF

.JE .\~~E

CHEZ.Hm DE

~r .\TEL

aftirme<l tltat she rnnst yet render an a('connt fo1 it bel'me the tJilmnal of the SoYereign Jndge.
'l'o her g1eat
~Jwme, she had to lJea1 the ieproaches add1es~ed to he1
hy the yoiee of the people. IJnt nothing conld snbdnc he1
p1ide 01 ovenorne her resistnnc ~ to the exti-action of the
hemt of the <lecea!-\ed. ~rhc danghters of ~Iother de )Iatel
nsed their right and held out in their opposition to the
lmrial of the rernains nnti1 theil jnst demand had been
satisfied.
Jt w:u; nuw Satnrday, ~epternber 13, and more than
two dap; lrnd passed since the death of the venerable
)fother, and all began to despair of being able to bend
the ohstinate will of )fadame Lenet. 'rowards ten o'elock
in the rnon1ing of that day, Mr. and :Madame de Hossignol.
~1 C<'Olll pan ied hy seye1al oth er di stingni shed personages,
presented themselYes a t the do01 and a~ke<l to te permitted
to go into the interior of the monaste1y, to see from ncar
their saintly friend, of whose denth they had Je~uned only
from 1rnblic 111rn01s. Jt was impossible for ~Iadarne Lenet
to refnse them. 'rhe exalted dignity and powe1fnl intluence of sueh visito1s did not permit her to tmn them
away. As soo11 as they had eome into the cloiste1, the .
daughters of Mother de -:\Intel aRfo\embl<ld nround them and
eomplained of :\Indarne Le11et'8 }'ersistent refnRal to let
them have the heal't of thl ir Fonndress exfracted. 'l"'his
pro('ednl'e appe(ued to them rnoRt ierolting- and was qnalified hy them as it dcscrve(l to be. l\fa<lame <le Hossignol,
in pmtienlm, ins;ted ~o sfrongly OH th.c m11easonable11e~~ of tht p1etra11de<1 Snpc1ioress in 11urnifestiug hoRtility
to this de~i1e, fat she was olJliged to yield .
.:\ ~nq.?,eo11 \Y(\S imrnedintely cal1ed in. llen we leave
the eo11timwtiou of the 11nnative to ~fothp1 <le BMy: ""'J'he
~mgp011 wa~ 1h< ROll of Doct01 P1ionlt who hn<l aHernled
om 8i~1Pr~ 1'01 1wP11iy-fiye ycms. ~Phey ha<l a~kcd for
thP l'(tilip1, n11<l 1101 the fo\011 who wa~ a yom1; hal'C-hl'ai11.
Bnt 1hPy 11:1<1 io be snti~fied with hirn. ..\~ so011 as he
Jind c11te1<d, th<; huly Rupp1i01e~R ~poke with him in p1inl1P. llP h:t<l io 1pcpirP Jtp1 imdnH'tio11~ a{ter which he
1

IT IS CO~SC:.'IL\I.:\.TED

567

~et

about executing \Yhat had heen c1emam1ed of him. The

rernains of onr --<:l ear ~Iothe1 " ere caniecl out of the choir
anrl e:s:posed upon a tab1e. The opening of her chaste
bod: \Yfls begnn towards ele,eu o \1uck. ~\ncl. as the surgeon lrncl neg-lectecl to place nea1 b,\ a ]>lnte to receiYe
the he;wt. after he had tnken it ont. he let it fall npon
the fioo1 with a gesture of su11nbe and a luok at ~f aclarne
I..enet which urnsecl the Sisters to belieYe that he had
let it fall to please her. _.\fter he had piekecl it np and
looked at it closel:: he saj cl: This heart has been cli~tre:-;secl. for it is extraorclinaril: fiat and " asted.' He
lJiercefl it tn the middle to dras\ the bloocl out of it. Bnt
there flm,e from it onl: a liquid a~ :ellow as golcl. After\1arch. he looked into the interior of the od;:. but suddenJ: stoppecl and said: Let us go no fnrther for fear
of scancb 1. ~orne per:-:ons. pu tting tng-ether this remark
and the circnm:-.'tance of the refu~al of ~Iadame Lenet fo
J:Jermit thi~ overation. conc:lucled that the death of the
~aint1: ~Iother hacl been hastenecl.
But the Order of the
Incarnate \Yorcl refusecl to credit this ed l-mincled su pposi rion.'" 1
~Iother

cle HtC.ly continues: After the heart had l>een

enclo~ed in a learlen box. the bod: was carriecl back to
the choir and the funeral serd ces \"\ere perforrnecl. Then
the precious cleceasecl "a:-: taken frorn the Yiew of the
~iste1:--: and ]Jlaced in a graYe which hacl been prepared
in front of the lo\\e:'t :-.:tep of the altai. This place \Yas
considered the rnost honorable possible and the most conforrnable to the loYe she hacl en~r shO\Yn for the Rlessed
~a c rmnent.:: 2
1 The Sist er s cou1c1 no t g e t fro m the surg eCJn any e x plana ti o n of
h is w o rds , s ay:::;; ~I o t he r de B ly. T lle " o m an 11 i ndered it by p u t t in g
him o ut im med i a t e l y. a nd aft erward s \\e could not clear up t h e m a tt e r. T he y oun g m a ri wa s a sho rt \\'hile af t erwards im pl i ca t e d i n : : o
ma n y sc a ndals t ha t he w a s ha ng ec1 in effigy in f ront of t he ho m e of
h is fa t her. w ho d i ed of sorrow. as he w a s a s Yi rtuou s an d pr uden t
a ~ he had b een ab l e i n b i s profe ss ion.
His wido w " as fo r ce d t o qui t
the ne ighbo r hood t o e s cape t he s hame '\Y h i ch tha t son had cau s ec1.
S o rn e a ttri bu t ed t he se d isgTaces t o h is u 11 '\Y o rt hy trea t m e n t of t he
heart o f ou r Yene r able :'\Io t her .
2lb i de m. ch. XLII.

..

568

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

Sorne time afterwmds, SiRte1 Fran ces Grader placed

OH the tomb an epitaph who~e style is redolent of the taste
of that epoch.
Seve1a l wonde1fnl events had preceded and followed
the death of the saintly 1\fother, and were attested by pe1sons so 'vol'thy of faith that there can be no doubt of
their veracity.
'Ye cite the following from a great ul.1mber the record
of which we have under om cyes. Ouly a few days befo1e
the decease of Motber de l\fatel, the Rist.ers who we1e
in the choir suddenly saw dazzling lightR toming from
four different directions and meeting togethcr but remnining distinct. 'rl1ese lights stopped before the pre-dieu of the
Snperioress and then went out towards the apmtment of the
Mother Foundl'ess. 'There, two Sisters who had followed
them, saw thern va11ish before the feet of their Yenerable
l\Iother. One of the Sisters in her fright ciied ont: "J esnR !
l\Iother, what does that mcan '?" She replied: ' I Rhall die
soon and, after my death, the four Honses of the 01de1 "'il1
nuite to defend the Order.'' This was verified to the letter. 1
l\fother l\f argaret Gihalin. Snpcrioress of the monasteI"y of Avignon, arrived at Paris some time after the cleath
of ~fother de l\Iatel and then af'firmed (and lier te~timony
is nbove suspicion) that during the night of the death
of ihe saintly l\fother, one of her Sisters of Avignon had
seen a great b1ightness illumining her cell. She said to
he1seH jmmediately: ''l"his is om l\Iothcr FoundreRs who
is d nd.~' At the sa me moment, the grcat bell~ of the
('OJ1"e11t to1led without any one having moved them.
Rimi l:n phenomena were obse1ved in the monasterie~ of Lyou~
tll<l 01enoble, during that same night of September 11.
~f othe1 Blias of the Cross and l\f oth( 1' l\f. of the Concepti011 l tt< s1 P<l 1hPsc fa<.:t-s when fey eame to Paris to join
.\1ot11<1 ~I mg:npt G ihali11 in wol'ldng for the welfarc of
tl1<' l lon~P of P:uis and in tJrn~ fnlfilli11g the prcdictioll
ol' tl1P :-;ni11tly FomHhess.
1

1.:\Ja1111 sc ripl 1\Jemoi1 of l\ loth e r cl c D h . Part II . c h. XL.Il .

'

IT IS COXSGlL\U.TED

3G!J

ne~ides) :J[other J[<.ngaret affirrnecl that :Jlother de .Jiatel

had appearecl to her in a dream cluring the night of the
Foundress: death and hacl recomrnencled tha t henceforwanl
she should sho\\- herself to be the .Jlothe1 of the Orcler
of which she \Yas the first vrofessed and that .Jiother de
)Iatel had then -placed the book of the Constitutions in
her hands~. On a\Yaking she. in fact. found tha t book in
her hands and smy in this that the apparition "-as real and
that this v~-as an annouueement of the saintly :Jfother's
death. There were heard. at the same tirne. testimonies
of se\eral other persans: arnong whorn there were religious
and secular priests who had been confessors or directnrs
of >Iothe1 de :\la tel. Sorne testified tha t. at the \eiy
moment of ber death: they had seen her clothed in the
habit of the Orcler and resplenclent. Others of these testified that a brilliant light had illumined their becl-chambers
at that sarne moment.
The intention of the daughters of the Incarnate Y\~ ord
in haT"ing the heart of their sain tly :Jiother e:s:traeted: had
been~ as "\Ye ha-ve saicl, to make a presen t of i t to the
m01ia~tery of the Incarnate \Yord of L:-on:".
The Ab(,
Colombet was cornmissioned to take to the Sisters of the holy
:JJount~ this token of the lo\e of their saintly :Jiother for
thern. It was recefred with great solemnity and was guardecl
with most respectful and filial "Veneration. During the
horrible period of the Great Re"Volution. this holy cleposit
was taken to a place of securi ty. and la ter "-as resto1ed
by the surTYors of the monastery of Gourguillon to the
Sisters of the new conYent which had been erected on the
hill of FourYieres in 1833. They still preser\e i t as their
most precious and che1ished treasure .
<__;

'

Miraculous

Events

"Ton1d it 11ot he p101ie1 _to Jay down the peu and rema in in siJenee to meditnte ou the grea t les~ous offered
by the sad but consoling spectacle which we have wit11e:-:Red "? l\fother de ~la tel is 110 more. 'Yill the g1-cwe,
whi<-h has opened to 1eceive hel', bmy her in oblivion, as
he1 ve1sec11tors desire? Far from it.
'rhe miracnlons
(\vents which happened after her death, have nlrendy an~we1ed that the saint1y l\Iother defends her own memory
againRt oblivion.. TheRe events have a voice which is mo1e
0loqnent than that of men, to proclaim again the predilection of her Divine Lover for her, and J esus seems jealons
to show to a11, the power which the intercession of His
faithfnl love1 iefains over His Heart. But, before "Te
1ecord the fa vms o btnine(l after her dea th, i t i s 0111 filial
<luty not to let thoRe l>e nnknown which marked the saintly
~fother'R pilgrimage on earth and which we have not been
able to embody in the sketch of her biography. 'rherefo1e we sha11 uow cn1l some of these flowe1s of Heaven
whkh here and thel'e adon1 the recitnl of Mother de B'ly.
~ \.R a faithfnl mrnali~t specially cmefnl to 1nove the truth
of the exfrao1dinmy fact~ whieh she 1ecom1ts, she signs
her own narne to the iecol'(1 while awaiting their appre<iation by a mo1e competellt anthority. 1
[11 1()2fl, a ln<l.'T of Homme who had hl}nrd of .Jeanne
<le 'ratel'~ 1epnfatioll fo1 sa11dity, lmmght to lie1 he1 own
i-;oll who 11a<l hle11 h1illcl frorn 11ii-; hidh. 'l'he i-;e1Tant of
Ood, tonthe<l hy i he i-;onow of thiR mothl 1, harnle<l her
a si1ve1 re1iqumy <011faiHi11g n]i('~ of St. Ig1wtin~ mul
~t. Te1e~: ;uHl a<l,, i~e<l h{}l' to tonch wif it the Pye~ of the
Jittl e h1irnl hoy <lnl"ing uiue <lay:..;, mi<l ]H'OlltlN(\<l to l'ecomu1e11<l hi111 to U0<l. Only t"o <htyN al'tPr, ihe happy rnother
1

1 Tl!

b ut tll e
X L\'f.

ese f a,c ls ar e r e la kil in various wri ti ng-s of M nt h e r il e B ly.

rn a jo1it y :n0 takp11 from !t e r M;11111~cript l\'I C'moir, Part JI , elt

570

~l

llUCPLOPS

E\'E~TS

G71

Jn-<rnght lmek the l'eliqumy, effu~iyely thanked J ennne de

)fatel, and pioclaimed eYerywhe1e thnt ~he owed to her
the cure of her son. rrhe miracle wns manifest. All knew
the little boy who had been born blind. ~Ioreoyer the
ieli<Jnmy became common prope1ty. ..All nRked foi it and
for the praye1s of .J eaime. It was nnhea1d of that an)
one hnd had iecomse to ihis donble protection, withont
1eceiYiug frorn it nid whil-h was prompt aHd cumplete.
W"hen she was thanked f01 n g1aee reeeiYed, she refnsed
to aecevt the hon oi and a ttri lm ted nll the gl oiy for the
favoi to God and to the Saints whose relie:s were tlrns
g;lorified. But no one waR decefred as to the true somce
of these fayms. 'rhose "'dw n~ked foi the relies had les~
co11fide1we in them th an in the prayers of .Jeanne. Il ei
nction wns like tlrnt nm-r~ltPd 1 the liYes of many g1eat
sernrnts of Ood. 'Pheii- lrnmi]jty lovPd to sci-een thefr own
powers behind those of other saints.
In the month of December of lG-:J, 8h.;ter Finnces
GraYiei fell from n heighi of seYeral meten.; and her skull
was en1shed. Dr. Pi-ionlt, the surgeon, '"as irnmedintely
calle<l in and dec:ided that it was nece~smy to perf01m
the opeiation of trepanniHg-. Bnt, as the honr was lnte,
he pnt off the op<-~1ation foi the next day and only bled
her and plaeed a bandage over thP wound. )lothei de
)fatel was greatly distreRsed nt the Sister's snffeiillgs and
went to 1nay for her Lefo1e the Blessed Sal"rnment. Rhe
then came back to hei nnd said: "'::\Iy danghte1, han~
(onfidence in the goodue~s of the Inearnate W" onl. on
will Hot he trepannecl and yonr fall will not luwe n fntnl
effect. in spi te of nll a ppearan eeR." ~ \ fter theNe wmds
she plaeed her hnnd 011 the head of tl1e sick Sister who
immedintely snid: "~fothe1, I i10 longer feel an~ pnin.
Go m1d inke yonr 1est.'J Rhe went nwny, not to hei bed,
lrni to the clwpel, mHl carne hrnk frorn time to tirne to
NPe tlte ~ick Riste1 who ~lepi qnietly dmi11: the whole
1tight. In the m01ning the Nmgeon cnme to pl'oceed -to
the ope1ntion of trepmrning. He waR nmazed nt the change
which he :-.;nw in the Ri~te1~ condition Hlld ~nid to )fother

5 -.,

'-'

LIFE OF JE.\.\' XB CHEZ.HW DE :.\L\'l'EL

de ::\Iatel : ''l\ladame, wHhont a miracle which is evident

ii1 this case, this d1ild conld not be in the c011dition in
which I now find lier.~ ' There was no 1011ger a11y trace
of the wonnd whith, on the eYening of the day before,
e11dange1ed the life of Sister Francis Gravier.
Dr. Prioult himself, some years later, experienced the
efticacy of the inte1cession of the saintly ::\lothei. He was
attacked by a "conthrnons fe\ e1 "~ith pleul'isy accompani_e d
by inflammation and oppression of the lungs." He became so ill that tlle JJhysicians des1rnired of his life, and
be reeeiYed the last sac1m11e11ts. He then remembered the
power of JHother de l\f atel. He had seen it in the ase o"(_
ihe aeddent just me11tioned and also in the rapic.l and almost nnho1Jed-for enre of a tumor on the knee of l\1other
of the Holy Gbust Nallard. '\Ye related this fact in its
proper plaee. He begged 2\Iother de ~Intel to become the
ndvorMe of his ow11 desperate case, and she gladly consented. Only a few days afte1. Ih. P1ioult came in per.-;on to tliank the Foundress for his inompt and perfect
cure.
I11 the .rem whieh prececled the death of Mother de
~l<1tel _, Fnther Blanc, the Ahbot and General of the Fathers
of St. Genevieve, canons regulm of St. Augustine, had
fnllen chrngerously i1l and his advanced age took away all
hope of his iecove1y. The good Abbot was .thinking only
of prepming himself for death when he felt an i11spi1n ~
i ion to beg the goo<l :.1Uothe1's prayers, in which he lrnd
'rlie prornised novena had scmTely
:-;peeinl c011fidence.
<0111111e11<P<l when the sick rnm1 felt that he "~as cnred arnl
<':rn1e i11 pe1f.:011 to express his g1atitude.
He 8mvivc<1
Jlothc1 de 1'Iate1 fonr yenrs.
'rlie followi11g liHes icvenl a whole seiief' of graces
oht:tine(l y the iHte1Tentio11 of the saintly 1\lother and
~how her love for the Hle~se<l Saermne11L
'l'hey me frorn
1-11< Jl<'ll of 1\1 oi lier de B<~ ly. .. \Yh en an y one i 11 om con,pn t Wl:-\ :-;irl~ llld ll da11ge1 or <1Paili, Olll' l\fofp1 FomHhe~~
l1n<l 1pco111~0 Io 111<> J >ivi11 e l l<>nl<~1, i<<Piv<~<l 11 irn in 1loly
Co111mu11io11 HJH1 irn111e<lia!Ply ranie<l llilll to he1 8ick
7

~IIlACCLOGS

EYE~TS

573

daughters, and made her thanksgidng by the side of their

beds. She asked their cure vdth such confidence in her
DiYine . Love that He g1anted it to her and not one of
tho~e thns interceded for died.
\Yhen siek externs who
had been given up b~ the physicians, were recommendecl
to her prayers. she begged St. Raphael to go to visit them
for her and cure them. \Yhen she \Yas asking health for
them , if she could not shed tears in the presence of her
DiYine Spouse, this was always a proof to her that God
\dshed to take them ont of this 1ife. She then :;miel to
her c1a11f~:hters: Pray for snch a one, for Our Lord does
not wish to hem me.' This " as a sign that snch a person
wonld die."
In 0~1r monaster,Y of T.yons, she cnred a yonng gh-1
of ten ~-e~us \Yho \Yas a rel atfre of JI. Deville, the Yicar
Gene1al of Cardinal .Alphonse de Richelieu. She was affiictecl with the falling sickness. The saint ly :~\Iother applied
to lier head a pictme of the Blessed Yirgill, and the chilcl
was instantaneously clelivered from her infirmity.
ln 15;35, the1e took place at Lyons an event of which
\Ye lrnYe spoken in Chapter XXII. and \Yhich is more astonishing than all the others. but is attested by several witnesses. A boy nine years of age, a son of Jiadarne de
Sol eil. "ho cl \Yelt at the foot of Jionnt Gou1guillon. had
been clead for several honrs. JI. Chabanier, the chaplain
of the conYent of the Incarnate \Yard, had been the tntor
of this oy, \Yho after"Taids embraced the ecrlesiastical
state. .Jiothe1 de :Jlatel, liaYing 1earnec1 of the exheme
saclness of that 1ady whom she kne" intirnately, \Yent to
see and console her. After speaking for ~orne moment~
\Yth t le desolate mother, she app1oached the child. raised
the sluoncl Yfhich eoYered hirn. eall ecl him b~ his name
and told him to l'Orne and d1y nv the tears of his mother.
The little deacl 1)0~ immediately arose full of life. In
,a in the ~a in tly :Jf nther eomma11 cl rel silence. ~.\.11 crie cl
ont that this Yrns a mirac1P. The faet soon becarne public.
~\ ftel' 1rlati11g the~e and seve1al oth er p1oc1igies "Tonght
by the prayers of )lother de ..\f at<';l while still liYing, :Jlother

374

f.IFE OF'

JE .\."'~E

C H l~~.\ItD

DE

~U.TEL

J fo11f! e at th e Foot of' Goul'guillon in wliich tl1 e 1\linlC I<" iook place.

or Pmi~ llld tho~p

111011a~tP1 ip~ in whi<'h ou1 wodhy l\Iot-hp1
p:t~~w<l ~ c ,e 1'tl ~n an.; , lt:\\'P to111111ittP(l tll incp111hl<> fonlt
0 \iJ1p1
h\
flilino
lhP IHllllPlo\l:-;- \\'OJl(lPl'l'nl tJli1w:-; whid1
.
:-, Io n
()o<l \\Tought i11 m11 hou~v~~ 011{ of eon~i<h~ration for her

d<> BPly add:-; :

111 0111 Mh e t

""\\' p of' t hP

lllOll(UdPJy

57;)

.:-\I In.\ CTLOFS EYE-:\'TS

nml i11 fann of' eve1y

claR~

of pe1sons \\'ho had recontRe

to h el' in ordel' to be aicled hy he1 prnye1~.
e "rere ve1y
w1on: in uot eon:-.1igning to \\Titing the orade:-; whif'h eame
from lier montlt on thousnncls of occasions and \Yhieh
\\Tought so many l'Oiffe1sions. This oh1igeR ns t say that
"'e haYe heen bJincled to the light by the light, and that
\Ye haYe satisfiecl onrselYes by remaining in a state of
astonishment and admiration from the wonclers \Yhich onr
eyeR sa w or om ears continnally hemd of. Y\" e have reason to regret onr ]o~~ of th em, by not marking them dmn1
aR ye shonlcl haye clone, for the glory of Gocl and the edirtcation of sm1ls \Yho, perhnps, wonlcl Juwe been attracted
to God in greater nm11be1=.~
\Ye must not omit to note the efficacy of the prayers
of ~Tother de l\Iatel for i)ersons afflictecl "ith interiot tl'ials.
W,.e have nnder our eyes two antograph letters uf Father
Pierre 1'homas of the Society of J esus, in whicli he speaks
of the well-known, strange and prolongecl trials of Father
Surin, the celebrated author. In one of these, dated Saint:\Iacaire April 10, 1G41, and adclre~sed to Father Gibalin,
we read: Good Father Smin bas special eonficlence in
yonr prayers and Roly Sacrifices. He and I implore you
to use yonr influence over )i!other de l\Iatel that she may
grant the request \Yhich I make of her in the name of
Father Surin. The letter written to me by that beautifnl ;.;onl, has hacl a wonderfnl effect on his spfrit. and he
exacts another in the same ~tyle, according as the Roly
~pirit ma~r inspire her. He begs her to spenk to him 'Yith
frankness and not to hicle anything she may know whieh
eau aid him to get out of the wretrhed state to \Yhieh he
has been reducecl for a year and a half. '"l"owards the end
of ~J anuary, I went to see him for the express purpose
of conuunicating to him what the Rev. ~Iother had written me. Be "'f5 greatly pleased "ith it, and he saw
elenl']_Y tlwt what she saicl \\ras trne. Sinte fen he ha~
been improving steaclily, and, o Goocl Friday, he went
into the chureh to adore the Holy Cross. A short while
afteP"'al'Cls, he went to confes~ion in the sacl'isty, a thing

"r

576
11e lta<l not ceu aule to decide to do, fo1 a long time. Thp1efo1e 1 beseech your Hevere11ce to get ~f othe1 <le ~Intel
to w1it-<) as 80011 H8 she eau, what Rhe judges to be heRt
fur the welf~ue of that good Father who is looking for
health from the said )fothe1, afte1 God."
~l'he second of theRe letters is adchessed by Fnther
'rl10rnas to Mother de ~lat.el, from Bordeaux, June 21, l5-!.
"Good Father Surin and I feel much obliged to you
fo1 yonr charity, in deigning to remem ber us in the p1es0nce of God. This good Father is always in a stnte of
affliction because he believes that God is indignant with
him anrl iebuffs him whenever he attempts to npproach
His Divine :Majesty, and that all the saints and the Uother
of gra('e and mercy seern to take the part of God and
to look upon him ouly with eyes of rigor and severity.
T leave it to you to imagine the anguish whieh this poor
aband.oned soul feels in bis heart in conseqnence of this
ma1ignnnt impression. He gives to others ver.r good advice 'vhich he cannot take for himself.
Lately he has
w1itten several spfritual works which are admfred. But
he cmmot arJply to himself what he teaches to others, etc."
'I'heRe letters, which suppose several others, are carcfnlly mmotated by Mother de Bly and, in her mannscript
~lemoi1 fi om which we deiive most of the events of that
epoch~ the faithful amrnlist consecrates many cogent page~
to p1oving the efficacy of the intercession of l\Iother de Matel
OH hehalf of 11.,ather Surin.
"Te here transcribe her note
to one of the above lette1s to whieh note she signs her
11 arne and title:
''Fnther Rnrin had begged the prayers of our Rev.
Mot-lw1 .Jeanne de l\Iatel 7 Jnstitntiess and Fon])(lreRs of
ih P 01der of the Incarna te " . . ord, in order to be del i ven.)d
frnrn the disfress canRed hy the sonl-sidrneRs whid1 he
Jwd b1oup:ht from Londm1, whe1e he had ccome obscssed
while exorc-ising and f01ciHg devils io go ont of the bodies
of po~scR~ed 1wrs011fo'. 'Phe 11.,a the1 lrnd become dum b to
s1H..: h n dPg1(le ihnt llO 011c eonld make him s1wnk. He
was hr011ght hy Father Thomas to om i)ions Mother

MIRACULOUS EVENTS

577

Foundress, in our convent of Lyons. 'Vhile he was in

our parlor, she knelt down on her knees, and said to
him in a spirit of faith, humility, and obedience: 'Reverend
Father, in the name of the Incarnate 'Vord, I command
y~m to speak to me.'
He did this immediately. His companion was a "itness of this fact and was consoled by
it and related it in the college and in several places in
Lyons, as I learned from the aged Sisters of the Congregation. I bear witness to this for the glory of God,
on this twentieth day of September, 1672.
SJS'J'ER ~JEXNXE OF !ESUS DE BELY,

Professed Religious of our

1ll onastery of Paris."
If )Jother de )fatel did not obtain for Father Surin
'ltis complete delfreranee from the extraordinarily painful
affliction from which he was suffering, yet, as is seen,
she procured for him some alleviation which was more
or less lasting. Rowever it was not according to the
impenetrable designs of God upon that holy religious that
there should be an abridgment of the trial which, in different
periods, lasted for twenty years.
Another religions of the Society of J esus, a Rector
of the College of Lyons, \vas, a t a certain epoch, afflicted
with trials similar to those suffered by Father Surin. He
had confidence in the prayers of l\Iother de Matel, and
had recourse to her. The first grace which she obtained
for him was that this condition remained a secret. "In
fact, it was .u nknown to all the Fathers except Fathers
~Iilieu, Gibalin, de Crest, de Sainte-Colombe, and Berthaud.
who all admired the "onders wrought in that Father'' after
~Iother de Ma tel had prayed for him and had conYersed with
him seyeral timeR. )[other de Bly expressly attes; that
g;raee in the same \Yay as the preceding. She assures us that
Rhe knew of it from persons worthy of all confidence.
The death of the pious Mother did not interrupt the
~el'e8 of favors obtained by her intercession.
They were
irnmerous aud continued to prove her influence with God.

LIFI~

01<' .1 E.\XXE C'I-IEZ.\lW DE MA'l'EL

\Y e 1ead. i 11 01i:i wtl 111 mrn:-;ni pts, seve1a l faei:-; cont :1i11i11 g ;111 tl1e rnmk~ of 111i1;1c1es in favm of se<-n1mN and
of rp] igions rnen nrnl "'OllH ll of nnions onle1~. Seye1al
n ttestation~ of the!"e gnwe:;.; me m1de1 the e,res of the p1esellt
\\Tite1\ \Yth thefr dates which are more or 1<:'~S ancieut .
.\li~~ L>eho~ , of the ~nbmh of Raint-G<-)rrnain, was "'f~t
i 11: a wny. <1 millg- tl11ee yems. n mle1 a ~1mv fever against
whil'h seie11('e \V<t~ ]''n~1le~ ..;. 'iil1is pions l>ntiellt had had
iecomsl' to seve1a] ~aints, but withont success. On the
eontimy, she constm1t1y gTew "'OI~e. Towards the year
1<>7:~, she chauee<l to hear of the exaordinar,v yiItnes
alld rne1it~ of ~fother de ).fnteL and lenrned that she had
<lied i11 the odo1 of snndity. Rhe eommended herself to
ltp1 i11tene~~i011 aud felt in~pi1ed to mnke a nnve1ia in
l1p1 h01101.
~lie asked for the loan of something which
lwd lwe11 n~ed hy the ve11e1nble ~lother aud received a
:.-emf. which ~, he wo1e with great respect. Only a few homs
nfterwn rds , she "as corn p1 etely emed n ml was perrnn nen t ly
clelive1ed from the eYil by whieh Rhe ha.1 been tormented
<lnring so long a time.
:\fr. Bignon, the att0111ey gene1nl, hnd m1 only dnnghte1
fifteen yeni~ of age. She wrn;;; attacked hy sma 1lpox and a
high fcre1.
The family were iHfo1med that the1e was
imminent danger. 'l111ere was no hope uf S<ffing her. )l.
H{>gonin of Riste1011, iu P1oy'enee. one _of the r.hap1ains of
i he Kin:(s hrother, had to see ~rr. Ilignon, on a busines~
affafr. Ile ('al1e<1 lmt " ns told he con1d not be seen on
aceonnt of Ids desolntio11. M. S6goni11 had to go away
withont hwdng Reen :\Ir. Bignon. The former hnd g1eat
vene1ation for ~Iothe1 de ~\Intel. miel, "ith entire confidenee, in voked he1 p1 otec tion for the yonng sick girl. 'rl1e
next day he weut bnek to the home of :\Ir. Bignon to inqnil-e :tbont tlw health of hN dm1ghte1. and \Y<lS to]d that
he1 <011ditio11 hn<l censed to be <1eRpai1ed of at a cel'tail1
m01Hrni- wldeh was 1ne<i~Ply the tirne when he hnd p1ayed
io i lte :-;ailltly FomHheR:-;. li<} tol<l the cause of tlds im JII'O\'"P rnen t. 'l'ile llH'lll he1~ of ihc f am ily j oi ncd feiI p1aye1s with fose of i11r . . \hbP S(>gonin :rnd iusrntmiconsly
~ri~s Hig11011 was e1it iIely <:med.
This happc11ed in 1G75.
3

:J\IIHACULOUS

EYE~TS

G70

The following fact is so noteworthy that '"e consider

it n dut) to call 1--1pecial attention to it. In lGSJ, l\ladame
Xieolle Jlille, whose father-in-llnY, Jlichael Le Jline, hacl
heen cmecl of a mortal mnlady many years before, tlnough
the pl'ayer~ of the saintl;y ~Iother, was snffering extl'emely
from the consequences of erysipelas, which had left hi~
face_ so s"ollen that it yieldecl to no remed~. The eYil
'nls cleclnre<l inenrable. :Xow, nt that time, a graye wns
lwing clng, iu the former monaste1y of the Incmnate \\"'"ortl
(wbich lrn.<l become an .\bhey of Bernmcline mrns), in
order to lrnry one of the Ri~ter~ of the ~-\..bhey. This g1ave
wns neal' that of the Yene1able Foundress.
Jf ndnme
~icolle, who "a~ full of l'<mtic1ence in the holy deceased,
\Yishecl to be present nt this wmk, in the hope thnt the
casket o:f )f othe1 de :Jlatel might be m1(ove1'ed, as ~he wa~
soliciting her mn1 cnre throngh the interce~sion of the
Fonndre:--s. And, in fod. that was what happe1)ed.
Let us hem :Jiother <le Bly tell the details of this en~11t .
.. In her conficlen ce th a t she "ou l cl be en red, ~he beson;h t
:\fr. Renand the gmclene1, to open the casket of the Jfothe1
Foundref's. At first he refnsed to do so. But finall.Y
he said in a lond Yoice in his 1ustic manner: 'There is
~o 1m1th talk about thi:-; g'<>0d ~fother being a Saint. W'ell.
let us see the pl'esent condition of her remain~.' \Yith a
blmY of his pick-ax~ lie ijppe<l the casket open, so thnt
the wmthy Foundress conld be seen. Immecliately Sistel'
Jfmie Bche, 1_101e:::s of the ~\.hhey, went down into the
gT~l\'e and put he1 aim imde of the C'asket and tonchecl
the holy body. The legs appemed to hel' not t~ haye lst
their fte~h. X o lrnd oclol' was exhalecl. After haYing been
lml'ied fonl'teen yenrs, the yene1n ble :Jiother "?as still coYt>l'ec1 with all hel' 1eligions garments. Her dress "as a
little reddenecl arnl her red scapular was sljghtly l>lackene
on the end near the ''?a ll, throngh which snch a quantity
of water timYed thnt it was nece~sary to bail it out when
the weather was Ye1y clamp. ...-\.fter :Jiadame :Xicolle hnd
finished her praye1 s of thanksgi,?ing to Gocl for lrnving
cnred hel' tlnongh the intercession of :Jfother de :JJatel,

580

LIFE OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE i\IATEL

the ga1dener put everything back in its proper place and

threw the earth back on the casket of our illustrions
:\Iother."
~rhe proofs of the power of the inte1cession of l\Iother
de Matel continued through the centuries from her death
to our own day, have left a luminous track which bas
been scmcely less striking and brilliant than that which
dazzled the eyes of her own cotemporaries. It even looks
as if this beneficent and luminous intensity has become
more sfriking in p1oportion to its approach to onr own
epoch. Tt is thus with regret that we abbreviate this
chapter. The anna]s of our monasteries record a great
number of favors obtained in behalf of their own members and a]so of many seculars, and even of many who
were entire strange1s to their monasteries, but had had
recourse to the saintly Foundress and had corne to ber
da ugh ters to make known her glories.
'Ve bave been informed of many spiritual graces and
unhoped-for cures dne to l\Iother de l\fatel. We received
such a communication from a couvent of Trappist Sisters
of the Department of Eure-et-Loire. The cure of the Supel'oress, who was suffering from a grave illness, took place
in 1885, and was attested by her physician.
A r:rrappist Father of the great Monastery of l.ia 'rrappe,
was on his way to the couvent of which w~ have just spoken.
After he arrived there, he had an accident which came
near being fatal. 'l'he horse that was still hitched to his
vehicle, suddenly shied, and one of the wheels ran over
the religious from bis left ankle to the top of his head
and the skin from half of his skull lnmg down on his
shoulder. 'rI1e Father was very aged. He had congestion
of the brain and there was great fear for bis life. The
Superioress of the monastery had great confidence in
l\fother de Matel and invoked her aid. Sorne minutes after
she had prayed, the wounded Father presented himself
in the parlor and said to the Supel'oress: "l\fother, there
is 110 longer any fcver or any suffering. J.. et us treat of
business." The wonnd was promptly healed. The next

~IRACULOUS

EVENTS

581

day, the Father retnrned to his monastery, to the great

amazement of those 'vho bad been witnesses of the accident.
Let us here close the narratiYe of the graces receiYed
through the intervention of ~Iother de ~Iatel. Although
we eannot record all of them, yet it will not be 1vithout
interest to read some of the testimonies rendered by seYeral of her cotemporaries, in attestations in which the
sineerity and :fidelity of the authors of these writings are
corroborated by their high standing and authority. \Ye
sha11 giYe these testimonies h1 the next chapter, which
consists almost exclusfrely of the -very texts of the attestations. This plan has two purposes. In the first place, it
will manifest the opinions of the persons who kne" ~Iother
de ~ratel the most intimately. In the second place, it will
bring together and put more in evidence the virtnes which
may haYe been admired in the course of this history, and
the most extraordinary snpernatnral gifts with which the
saintly Foundress was favored.

CHAP~rER

XXXI

Testimonials
P1i nee A ugnsti ne Gal itzin, 011e of the bi ogra phe1s of
.Jfother de )Intel. snys: '' ..A.JI who lrnew her ngree in affirming thnt :-'11e vn1s iie1fect in eYery iespeet. Rhe "ns of medium height. He1 mien wns dig:nified and noble. The eontom and the fentmes of her countennnee we1e 1eg11lnr. .....\.11
he1 mem bers wel'C proportionate to one another. ~.\. 11 these
g1nees "ere e11lrn11ced by hei lrnmble modef'ty, hel' yent g;entlem~ss, nnd simplidty. She was nlwny:--; gbd to be obliging
mHl tlms conciliated the good will of all who lrnew her.
"'The endo\yments of her soul " ere of the h ighest orde1-.
~he \Yns affable to eYery one and despised no one, bnt looked
011 her:-'elf as worthy of the contempt of nll.
Rhe hnd a singn]ar loYe for those who were sinee1e, and was so siHce1e
he1self tlrnt eYen when she conyersed with the cnptio.lis she
"onld not use any disgni~P. Iler hnmility " 'f.; p1oof agairn~t
hon01 nnd applnn~e. ~he attl'ibuted to the ki.11d-henrte<lness of others, the prnise which they gwe as dne to he1 11u?1its. ~he wns insensible to the good thing;s thnt "ere sni<l
a bout herself and thonghi only of doing what "as right."
In the p1el'nce of her Liff', pnblished in 17-!:i, by a Fnthe1
of the Rociety of Jesns, we rend the follmying ndmi1nble
~ketch of he1 chmncter: ''EYen n cnsual glance nt the 1i fe of
)Juther de -:\fatel, forteR one to rerognize her as a great ~onl
faymed by God fl'om he1 l'11i1dhoo<l, attentive to all lwl' dntieN, ~howing taste on ly fo1~ rm1ye1 n nd eage1lleRs on ly fo1
<1os~es arn..1 hnrnilintiom.;; tomngeom;; i11 heetling the vofr<) of
Ood in all thing~, indefatigable ll labm, UIH1i8tmhe<l by
<lifficnlties, nmrnb<lned by l'e\'e1ses, indiffe1ent in s1Hce~N,
fo1get-fnl, by sel'olld naime, of the injnl'ies she s nffe1s 01 the
g1n t ii mle she me1its. Hhe wns eYe1 endowe<l wi th extl'a01<1 i11 11y lightR, lrnt- ern1 snhrniNNYe to the j1Hlgme11t of ot-he1s.
(h1< ('(lllllOi hnt ~l<lllll'l' he1 chmH'll'J' 1'11lJ of stntigJJtfOl'\\'(IJ'dlH'SS :m<l si11cp1ily, of ~y111pnt11y witli t11t ~11ffel'ings of'
!jS2

TES'l'DIONIALS

583

othe1s. Sh~ was ardent for good, was insinuati11g without

being abject, comvlacent "\dthont being weak, polite withont
being affected, childUke in her conYersations, eas.' in man11er, and sound in jndgment .
.. All pl'ai:-.;ed her condud which wa;-; eYer ernn and uniJ'orm, as fenent in the lundest tria1s as in the sweetest con:-.;olations, equally exact in the smallest p1actices of piety
both intime of close application to impol'tnnt hnsiness matters and in the repos~~ of solHnde. She " 'as as ~elf-possessed
when the pnblil' had it~ eye~ fixecl upon he1 n~ when God
alone in ~ecret wns enlightening her on the be~t C'Ourse to
take, ~lie clid not feel ftattered by the confidence of thP
great nnd ditl not disdain the fi:iendship of the lowly. Finally '"e lmow of no 011e "'ho icsembled he1 in heing as great
a friend to those wl10 had sho,Yn he1 the bmest ing1atitndeaN she wonld haYe been if they lm.cl manifested the most mdent zen] in her behalf .. ,
Does not this iapid and striking sketch show the 'YOllderfnl efficienc.Y of the sanctity of :\Iother de :\Intel when it
was nnited, as in he1 case, '"ith the most attractfre qna 1ities of mind nnd heal'i '!
To these appreciations we adq those of persons who hnd
dealings with the Yenerab1e :\Iothel' during man~' years. At
the head "'e place the attestations of that "stern '' Father
Giba}jn who was so oppo~ e d to her before he entered into
direct relations with tlrnt up1ight and holy soni and who
abandoned his p1ejndices so cop1pletely that as early as February ::?O, 1G34, he conld write:
":\Iy pnrpose here is to satisfy the desires of those who
hnYe begged me to write. down on this sheet, my e~timate of
the condnct and aciious of the deyont .Jeanne de :\latel.
Foundress of the Congregatiou of the Incarnate \ ,, ord, e~
tn blished nt Lyons. If I speak frankly and according to nw
ronYictions, I haYe reason to fear that I will say too l ittle or
that I will be snspected by those who read this document.
\Yhi1e I am l'endering testimony to truth with all sincerity
mcl withont being inftnenced h>' my feelings, 1 must aYO"'
that I wishecl first to clear mY
., own mind bv
., consultations.
,

584

LIFE OF' JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

"Ti th fonr Fathers of our Society, and that I have received

other attestations from other Fathers of different Orders,
\d10 haye been her confessol's and who, with a piety equalled
by iheir discretion, have gnided all her steps in the ways of
the R!Jil'it of God.
"However I shall not permit myself to be infiuenced or
ca nied away by tlieir testirnonies, although these a~~e above
ieproach. I shall content myself by expressing in a few
words what I know from my own observation. I should not
be snspected of partiality, for, during five years, I obstinately refused to have any faith in the recital of the things
"hich I heard said about this Yirtuons lady. Therefore I
re<:ognize that, among the graces and favors which she bas
1ereiYed from nature, are quick and penetrating intellect,
a solid judgment, a retentiYe memory, an invincible courage,
a ~trong inclination to virtue, a soul born for great deeds.
~o that it onght to be believed that from her childhood God
f:wo1ed her with His benedictions and the sweet effusion of
His gl'aces, not only becanse she was granted to the prayers
of he1 pal'ents, but much more because she was then filled
with such an ardent love for the religions life that neither
the menaces nor the caresses of ber father were ever able to
mnke her lose her desire of retiring from the world.
"Rhe had scarcely reached the age of fifteen when her
bndding virtue and piety attracted the esteem and regard of
ail. Her knowledge of things spiritual and divine, the exquisite keenness which she showed in elucidating the mysteries of faith, and her uncoinmon penetration of the Scriptnres are proofs manifesting that she was instructed in the
Hchool of Heaven.
" l h:we tested, accmding to the Revel'est methods of theology, the varions trcatiRes which she composed by order of
he1 di1ccio1s, and T have 11ever fonnd in them a single doctTi11e which wa~ not in c011fo1mity wHh the standard of 01~
i ho<lox faith 01 whkh did not hannonize petfedly with the
1-cachi11gH of' the FatherR of the Chnrch.
" Thc~e gifts of wisdom and nnderstandi11g are accompa 11 ied by eloque1 1<p a 11<.l lH:rn I y of' style mi d hy a gentle

585

TESTDIOXIALS

'Tehemence that impart devotion with sud1 success that she

'"orks wonderful changes in souls. There are none of her
most familiar co1ffersations which are not so num.r torches
that enkindle and inftame in hearts the fire of divine love.
All these excellent qnalities me enhanced by the shining
marks that ordinarily follow sanctity which manifests itself
from its illustrions throne. There is seen in he1 a singular
gift of pray~r, from which she reteiYed lights and tears, an
inflaming of the heart whfrh is almost uninten11ted, and a
lrn1ning lmTe for J esus Uluist and for His ~acred Body
which she reives every day by the authori ty and 'Yith the
consent of the Soyereign Pontiff.
'I add to all this a COlnage which knmn; no defeat by reYerses of fortune, or by difficulties which are emounte1ed 1
matte1s of business, and a perseyering resolnteness in m1 . dertaking and carr;ring to completion all affafrs \Yhich tend
to the g1ol'y and praise of God; a most ardent ze~ll for the
sa1vation of her neighbor, a low opinion of her~elf. and pe1fect innocence in morality. All her directo1s ha Ye wonered at her childlike candur in diselosing the depths of he1
heart, and lrnYe jndged that it would be impossible fo1 the
spfrit uf darkness to bide himself under such a clear lig:ht.
)loreover, he1 wisdom in goyerning her religion~ family is
manifested by the good odo1 of her renown which ha~ spread
er-en to fo1eign lands, and by the m1mber of the young
women who urgently beg to be admitted into her Congregaiion. Finally, bearing in mind rny sac1ed duty to truth, I
declare that all the statements contained in this eulogy me
most true, and, for this reason, I haYe written and signed it
"Tith my mn1 hand and h~we anthenticated it with the seal
of om Society.
JOSEPH GIBALIX,

of t lt a Society of .J csus.
Lyons, Felnuary :20, 1()~1-!.''
This attestation was t1ansblted froIn Latl11 into French
lJy )fr. de Prizac, a Conncilor of State, while iesiding in
the home of the Chancellor, at Paris.

5So

LI FE OF .T E.\XXE CHEZ.\IW DE

~U.TEL

Hefon~ giYing other attestations of Father Gibalin, we

think it well to cite that of the Abb Le Blanc, chaplain of
the Hefnge, a t Pmis. l t was signed in 1 G7D, but refers to
the epueh of the preceding letter.
'"], .J mues Le Blanc, 1wiest, attest to all whom it nui.y
concel'n, that I dw elt dnring the year 1G:i:1, and those that
followed it. in the city of Lyons, where tl1e )Iost Illustrions
and Eminent Lon1 Cardinal de Richelieu, A1chbishop of
Lyons, lind giYen me the benefice of the curacy of St. Petel'
en Ynize, and that dnl'iug my sojonrn in that city, I had the
happiueRR of tnYersing seymnl times with the late ReY.
)fothe1 de )Intel, and of giYing serm011s and exhortations in
the 1itt1e clrnrch of the m01rnstery of the l ncnrnate \Yord
whe1e she clwelt with her daughtel's, mHl of sometimes going
the1e to say Holy )fass. In the dealiugs whih I had with
that senant of God, T found her always most humble, althongh her k11myledge wns Sll]Jereminent and lrnd been impnl'ted to he1 by God 1ather than by men. On seyeral occa~io11~, 1 obl iged he1 to speak on most di fficnlt questions of
theology. ~he deYeloped them most lucidly. 'l'o m~T objection~ RhP gnye the p1opC'1 solutions with the neeessnry
Pxplnnations.
"He1 simplieity and modesty we1e extraonlinary. L<we
foi God rnged he1 so songly and inflmned her heart so iniensely that all he1 action:;; retiected H signally. Hel' "Titings, sti 11 in the posse:;;sion of her da ugh ters, llHl.ll i fest ly
p1oye the tl'nth of the prece<ling; affirmation, nnd enuse us to
Nfe cleal'ly tltnt gyace wns not Yoid in her.
I giYe this testimony as a leht i o the uth nhon t which )ladame de B(\Jy,
one of 1te1 <lan:htel's, a 1eligions of the Order with whirh
slt<> e111i .. 1ted the Olrnrch, has nsked of me this attestation
which r hnye written aml signed wiih ms own hnnd, this
thi1_<11ih <lHy of' .:\Inn~h. sixtee11 hnndred nml seYenty ninc,
in 1Jiis <~ity of' PH1is whPJ'l' I <lwell nt present.
HL.\~C_,

Priest.')

tlt< <lnte or . \ugnst- 7, 1()-J-:1, nt which tirnc l\fother

d< ~l;ttC'I "ns l<n,i11: J1pr 11101rnst01y to go io cstnlish the
(T11d( 1 ] '

587

'J'l:STI~\IOXIALS

monastery of Pmis, Father Gibalin wrote to the Abbot of

Clrn zy, at Paris:
.. I belieYe you are beginning to possess a treasnre which
we are ieg1etfn lly losing, and if you wish us to join with
yon in yom joy at yonr happiness, you ought to compassionate onr misfo1tnne. ~fother de Matel le-ft us last Friday.
s ick at heart after 1eceiving visits from all the most disting;nished pe1sonages of Lyons, leaving her daughters and her
friends in a sea of nnspeakable sadness. She had to do great
violenee to herself by going away, and Rhe shed torrents of
tems. ..\..miel all her distresses, I lrnve never seen her so
dmnwast. It was not because she 'vas leaving her daugh ters, to whom she is attaehed with moth erly tenderness, 01
because slte was a prey to thoughts which were sonrees of
pain, bnt hecanse she was giving up her holy solitude in
which she had liYed hidden, to be cast fol'th on the ~.?,Teat
world. She goes to the Court as others go to
Cross, and
to apJJlause as to cleath. She is one of the most humble souls
that I lrnYe eYer seen or known. She rejoi ees w hen she is
blamed and eYen when she is assailed by the blackest calnmnies or when she is reduced to obscurity and is known by
fe,Y. She weeps, groans, is inconsolable, and suffers from
loss of appetite and sleep, at having to appear on the finest
stage in P1ance, and at being led in trimnph to receiYe the
applanse whi eh her virtue merits, and which is evoked b,v the
extraorclinary graces that she has received from God. Oh!
how great is this soul before God and how little in her own
eyes !

the

"If I ever should lrnve an opportunity of telling you of

the singular vil-tue of this saintly 1\fother, how many mar,cls I would have to reveal and how easily I could show that
i:hose deeeive themselves who believe that she piques herself
'vith Yanity. ..Hter having treated so often during the space
of six years with such a candid soul, and after having studied all he1 actions and reflected on the source of so many extraorclinmy lights and other favors from Heaven, I luwe
fon nd tlwt, apmt fro m t ht' gooclne:-;s of God, t he is no other
~on rl'e but the pr ofonml humility of thiR soul in nccept-

588

LIInJJ Oli' JEAKKE

CI-IEZ~\.RD

DE l\IATEL

ing and using these graces, and her entire c011fidence in this
divine goodness. How many mmTels in this Iine I
hnYe seen, and how often I luwe been transported with joy
at witnessing them, etc."
On September l?'i of the same yem Fathe1 Gibnlin wl'Ote
to Paiis to the Ahbot of Crisy, a Ietter which was all praise
of )fother de )Jatel. 'Ye cannot refrain from citing- Nome
])assages from it. "Since we haYe enusted to you om good
~[other and onr all, I fecl obligecl to thank yon for the care
that it has pleased your goodness to take of her. W'"ithont
sneh nid from yon, I would feel great apprehension from the
know1ed;e tltat she is ont of her house, and is iu a place
where she cmrnot escape opposition. 'l'he great qualities
with \Yhih onr ~Iotller is endowed, could not find a better
field ihan Paris. But her humility, \d1ich has kept her hidden so long, rnakes her Joye her sweet solitude, and the more
striking and continuons are the Iights whicll she receiYes
from the saered cornurnnications of Him who is Light inYisible, the more does she seek, Iike l\Ioses, to cover them with a
veil. But siuce God willed that she should leaYe the sacred
)fount, she was obliged to obey in spite of the dolent oppo~ition of lier O\Yll lrnmility, from fear of violating this
humi1ity it~elf by oppo~ing the cUvine will of which she conld
11ot rem a in igno1ant.
'"I haye hopes that this privation of ours will be for the
p1ofit of many who will be powerfully drawn to Gocl. l\Iy
1rnst <~XJJerien~e eonvinces me that this will be the case. I
shall 1ieye1 hesitate to confess that her conversations luwe
ecn advantageous to myself and that, althougll I lrnve
gTow11 grny among sacred books and sciences~ yet all I know
aLont trne spi1itnnlity and myi;;;tic theology has been deriYed
frorn he1 who gnYe me the IightR to m1derstnnd 'diat I hnd
I'P<Hl lrnt ha<l 11ot <omprehended. T1his solid science, joined
to co11~tm1t i1111oeence or lifc aud ehildlike simplicity and
l111llliliiy, which me the som<e~ of eo111pletc mistrnst of self
tIHl filial e0111idencc hi Go<l, which, in rny jndgmeut, <ha"
<lmn1 eo11tiu11ed fayori;;; f1om 011 high nud snstain her Rnc1ed
farnilimity with Ilim \Vho alo11c pos~e~ses hc1 1wmt- I sny,
~amc

5SD

TEST I SI 0 XI AL S

these thing:-; are, in my 01nmon, more estimable than

those which the world ordi11arily ndm-es more becanse of
their oubyard lnsfre, such ns lliiracles and prophecies. Howeyer she is not l<wki11g iH these gifts, as ber daughte1s and
my::5elf conld testjfy from onr own knmYl~gc. As to provhecjes, yon know those abont the deaths of De Thou, the Cardinal JUnister, and Lonis XIII, who lrnYe been dead for a
year and '"hom "e still monrn. And did she not sa.v and
"'1ite abont the Lord Chancellor, Peter ~guier, that God
had giYen him the seals and tlrnt no one would take them
a"'ay from hn '? \Yhilst all belieYed far othendse, she said
thnt he wonld be an immoYnble rock, and other similnr things
'd1ieh assnred us o.f the secmity of his position which was
belieYed to be uncertnin. Those who are most keen-sighted
in snch great affnirs, consider her knowledge mfraculous .
. This is hmY His Eminence, the Archbishop of Lyons, spoke
only the other dny: How are her business and the establishment at Paris proceeding? \Yhat do the wits and the rogues
of Pmis :-;a~, about her?
JOSEPH GIBALIX.

of tllc Society of .Jesus.

Lyons, Septem ber 15,

lH-J)~."

111 the mon th of Jfa1ch, H)5:~. Cnnlinnl Alphonse de Ilieh elien was dying. He was suffering from a tardy regret for
not haYing execnted the Bnll of the monastery of the Incarnate \Yord. :u. de la Piardire and others nmong the
fr_iends of Jiother de Jlatel, belieYed this to be the p1opitious
moment for the establishment of the conyent of Lyons.
Conseqnently he urged the departnre of the Founclress foi
Lyons. She -herself considered that it was not opportnne to
le<we Pmis becanse, she snl, .. I will not be able to obtnill
anything nt Lyons before two yenrs.'' HoweYer, the snintly
.\Iuther obeyed the Su1Jerior of the )Jonaste1.r of Paii~ and
left foi Lyons, in Octobe1, 1G33. ~rhe futme jnstified hee
p1eYisions, sin ce ")lonsignor Camille de N en Yille gave the

590

L IFE OF .T E.\X~E CITEZ.HW DE :.\IATEL

1equ il'ed au t ho1iJr,a tions only in 1 G55. 'rhe1e we1e 11rnrmm

ings in Paris at this long delay, and the1e were eomplnints
accusing he1 H(hisers and directors of being opJJOsed to the
establishment. Fnther Gibalin happened to learn that he
"as 1-1pecially blamed for this, nnd he wrote to )1. de la Piardire the following letter dated June :w, 1G5:5:
"'I lwYe learned from ReY. ~Iother de )fatel that some
misinformed or eYil-minded individnals lun-e sp1ead the rep01t that in an undel'lrnnd way I h<we beeu p1eyenting her
establishment in this city, and that I haye wished to persuade Olll' )fo~t ReY. ~-\rchbishop to receiYe her only on condition that ~he will take tlw lwhit. Hi1, this is ~uch an ill<leYised <alnrnny that thoNe who hrne illn~nted it uught to
blnsh for shame. I haYe longed for this establishment for so
111m1y yems and haYe done for it all I conld ( althou;h this
ha~ been Ye1y little), mid T wonld stnltif.' myself hy trying
to lJI'e,en t- it. If I were ill-disvosed tuwnrcJs He,. )[other de
:\fatel in the wHy they sup110se, I ou;ht to seyer all the
ho11 ds tha t tie her to this place, arn1 vrocnre her return to
PmiN. Bnt bccnuse they think they can sustnin their cnlum
nies by whnt I ''Tote in forme1 letters in which I wished to
pe1farnde her to inke the habit nt Pa1iN, r desire to nnrleceiYe them.
nuring the many yems in which l haye had the blessing
... of' dealing with ReY. ~Iother de )la tel, I h~we recop;nized
:-;lHh an ontpmll'ing of lights nud othe1 g1a('e~ of God npon
that lady, srn.:h cando1 and frankneRs, HIHl :-.;11eh a Ringnlar
P10Yidenl'e o_,;e1 her ca 1ee1, ( w hi ch i u deed someti mes seemcd
to shock the . ordinary 1nles) tlrnt 1 Iuwe been in a state of
<011Rrnt adrnfra ti011 for her. I haYe neYer supp1e~:;;:ed o~
<liRRern hl ed rny opinion or he1, eYell hef'ore Ca rd iua I~. Althongli it ~eerned to mm1y that l spoke hi;Iil~ of hcr on
:-;orne occ;\:-;OilR, f hnYC HlWH,YR lwJieYe<l that f han nPn~1 expll in<><l the h igh idea 1 hayc of he1'. .Althon:h '"01ds exp1pss 01 il y w lrn t i lt on;Ii ts ha Ye coneei Yed, thon;h ts of tell con<e in wl1at wo1<l:-; ca1mot exp1<'N~.
Rome ~eni~ n;o nll
t ltouglti Nhe NhoH l<l not 1w;lcct an opp01tnn i ty of ma king a
1'0111Hlnt ion nt l'mis, and, nc('ordingly. she w<>nt tn that e~ty.

5l

TESTI~lOXl.ALS

It is true that I then vnote to her that she would do well to

take the habit; I lrnd rcasons 'Yhich seemed to me to be
~trong. She "Tote that she conld not well do so, and. as it is
clifficnlt to treat of such matters b:y lettei;, after I lrncl repea ted my Yiews, I left her free and ceased to '"rite, as I
kne"T that she 'n1s specially guided by God.
"After she retnrned to Lyons and I had conYersecl wh
her in a leisurely way, I saw in her the same lights and other grn<:es and the same ~pil"it which I had fonnedy admired,
only they hacl inc1 easecl. During her absence my affection
f01 he1 had neYe1 been extingnished, and eYen if it had, she
'"onld haYe fonnd snfficient lights new and old where,Yitli to
iekindle it. For holy affections are lnrninons Hames "hich
are lighted only by brilliant rays of the snn. On this particular point she gaYe me sneh strong reasons for deening the
.taking of the habit that I eonld not oppose the Rp-it of
God or the force of her reasons for her comse
conduct.
And ce1tain ly time has shO'Yn tha t. if she had ta ken the
habit at P:nis. he1 Orde1 conld not ha 'Te continne(l to exist.
Yon knO'Y a part of the ieasons. As I had no othe1 motiYe
for her taking the hn bit than the adyancement of her 01cler~
and as to-day I see thnt step 'yould luwe dest1oyed it. I am
forcecl to confess that I was nlistaken and that I shall be far
from obliging her to do nmY that which I think she onght
not to do.
"~ince I haYe thns set forth with ingenuommess my ffWn
ideas and feelings, I dnre to v1omise myself tha t in your generosity you will be goocl enongh to undeceiYe those who sa~~
that I am ill-disposed to"Tnrcls Mother de :.Uatel. 01 that I am
opposing the establishment of her conyent he1e. or tlwt I
'Yish to oblige her to take the habit at Lyon!';. in 01der to
kecp her he1e and depri Ye Pari~ of he1. Indeed if I co11:--;le1ed
only my own consolation, I wonld not be incapable of :-;ueh
a seheme. But Paris is a field more worthy of her Ug:hts and
drtues, and I "Toulcl be gnilty of an injustice to many i)e1~011s of high rank and to yomself in particula1, ~ir, a cir<nmstance "hi ch makes me will ing to sacl'ifiee my prfrate .
acfrantage to your happiness, to the glo1y of th;: ehild of

or

592

LIFE OF'

JE.~XXE

CHE~AilD

DE l\I.ATEL

HeaYen, and to the adYancemcnt of the work 'Yhich God has

begnn throngh her. I am indebted to her for the honor of
yonr aeqnaintance which I appreciate eYer more and more,
and it is a gl01y to be able to sign myself nR
Yonr most humble and obedient sernrnt in Our Lord,

J OSEPII GIIL~LIX'
of the Society of .Iesus.
- - '
I __.yons, J ll ll e -.)f). ~ 11-:uOb.

1n fact Father Gibalin was at that Yery time one of

those who were most zealous in soliciting the fonnding of
the momtste1.v of Lyons by l\Ionsignor Camille de Neuville,
".ho erccted it ('anonica lly on the first da,v of X mem be1 of
the year 1 ();)3.
Rpaee obliges ns to place a liinit to the testimonies which
cm1 Le addrn:ed. ~Iost of the .lette1s speak of )fothe1 de
)fatel in terms mrnlogous to those which lrnYe been cited.
Alihongh the leader might not g1my weary of hearing from
eonmpor~uies the pra ise of the eminent Yirtnes and the snpe1nat111al lights seen to be so mmyelons in the holy life
'Y11ich lias passed before our eyes, still we mnst place a limit
to tllesc enlogies. Ho\yeye1, the iende1 will thank us for
citing pnssages frorn two Jl101e lette1s and from n note
attesting the yalne of the "Titings of the snintly )fother.
rnie first leiter is from Fathe1 Hochette of the Rociety ot'
~Jesns and is addressed to )lother de )l<ttel.
)fy HeYere1Hl )1 oth cr i 11 Om Lord .J esns Ch ii ~t, you
Jrnyc <lone a holy deed hy fay01i11g mlll t?dirying me by lc])(li110 rnc ., 0111 ,njti1JO'A. 'Yhe11 I ~ce .yon, I ~hall illtPl'J'OO'nte
y011 on some points so thnt l 1rn1~ 1 nnderRtand them bett01.
)flll,Y :trg11111ents <ompcl me Io lHlieYe that they contain ~mli<l
iTni li. They me as follmn~: 1. Con<lnd most hm111011ionR
j 11 thP goodw~~s of Go<l.
2. nood HJHl ~e1i01rn nppl icat io11~ HlHl <.xplmiati011s of icxt~ or Holy ~<1ip1mp, :L rl'he
liurnhlP a])(1 rno<lest q11eRtio11f' whi<-h yo11 ask God. 4. ~[1 he
:t11~\re1;;.; " hirlt His Mnjefy g-ireN thr011gh HiR wh~dom and
~

,,.j

503

'l'ESTI~IOXIALS

gooduess. 3. ~-\.11 the produds of youl' mYn mind, me

nccompanied by gI"eat modesty and chal'ity and great zeal for
the honor of God and the welfare of the neighbor. G. Your
silence a bout injuries done to yourself. 7. Proportion bebYeen the public and the prinlte 'Yelfare, is 'Yell obserYed by
your zeal. S. Predictions Yerified by the eYents are marks
of diYine ope1ntions. 0. Excellent lenrning and theology,
and understancling of the Latin language aboYe the capacity
of a woman. 10. The houses founded through your instrnmentality me not the \Yo1k of a woman, they me a gumantee of what has been p1omised and remnins to be clone in the
future .... 1~. The solid juclgment and e1oquence manifested
in the prodncts of your o"Tn mind, are marks of good arguments to can~e us to belieYe that what you "Tite is true, and
to 1dicate to one who is not indocile, the infinite goodness
of God, especinlly "hen we consicler that God's guidance of
you is in harmony with the 'yay in whieh He has guided seYeral others, in our mYn times, who were of yonr sex and who
haye been 11JlH"OYerl for their perseYe1anee, their pions
deaths, and their inactice of high Christian Yirtue.

J A~lES

ROCHETTE,

of tlw Socict y of .J csus."

The secornl of these letter~ i~ from Father Ignatius of
Jesus )fa1y. a disealced Carmelite. He "1ote to ~lothe1 de
~latel on ~eptember 18, lG-10.
~Iy

rnost h 01101ed ~lother:

"l haYe iead 'Tel'y attentiYely and \\'ith g1eat. iespect and
com~olntion the first ten mannscripts of your life, containing
87 chapte1:s <UHl 0-!S pages. They are written in a style
"hich is pnre. noble. and eloquent, and nl'e replete 'Yith eminent lemning. \\'hile reading them, I haYe often said to my~elf, ho'" ble~~ecl the soul who has receiYecl so many graces.
and a thonsancl times blessed He \n10 has confened them

59
upou hel', and blessed be the hand that \\Tote them to be
tl'nnsmitted to posterity, for the glo1.r of the niYine ~Iajesty
nn d the good of man y souls.
'' I assure you that rny soul has reeefred from them, inofit,
great edificatiou, and new desi1es to be more intim<'ltely
nuited with infinite Love. 1 am very glad that after the
Incarnate W'" 01ct the Blessed Yirgin, the glcH'ious Father
Saint Joseph, Saint ~fiehael, nnd the lwly Angeb. :Ton l1ave
the highest idea of our owu holy ~Iothe1 rrere:-:a. Tlwt g1eat
~aint 'vill aid you, as she passed through mauy trials, contradictions, desertions, disappointmentR. and contempt from
men, like all fonnders 01-foundresses of ieligion~ Orclel's. I
was delighted in meetiug at your house, )f. de la Piardire,
'd10 iR a man of great worth and is n g1eat servant of God.
He offe1ed me hiR carriage, but I conld only thank him most
affectionately. I. was ove1joyed at bei11g allo"Ted to bl'ing
with me the treasme of yonr "Titiugs. I lwYe been 1eading
them quietly and continuously np to the present day when I
mn sending them back, "Tith a thousancl thanks and a most
earnest supplication that I mn)T be grantecl the lrnppiness of
also seeing the renrnining chapters.
'' Believe me to be more than ever mosi- peifectly and most
sincerely,
Yom rno~t lrnlllble son and se1nrnt in 0111 Lord,
Bno'rrnm I G~.\'l'I FS OF .JESL"'." S ~L\HY,.
Disralerd ('orJ11dite.
Pnis, Reptern be1 18, 1 H-H)."
011 .J11ly :n, 1(i52, Father
J>a1is to :.'\[other <le 1f atel:

Ig1wtiu~

q.!.1i11 \\Tote from

"The ~a me Rpi l'i t tlta t g11 i<le<l yom J>en in the fs t ch a p1-<1:-; of yom li f(\ e01it-i1rnes in the~e last '"hfrh I luwe 1eacl
n1y q11ietly. 'rhey confain iern:ukahle thingR "hich will
("Oll(llH'P lllllCh to 1l1e glmy or Cn<l and to the :1eat edifica-

595

TI~STL\IOXL\LS

tion of those who will read them in the spfrit of charity and
not of contradiction. 'rhis is my conviction.
BnoTHER lGN"x.rrns OF .JEsus

~L'..m::')

'ro these attestations of such serions personages, vrn add

.some of the examples of the care taken by Ou r Lor d H imself,
to jnstify His servant in the eyes of those who doubted t he
reality of her eminent gifts or the speeial designs 'd1 ich H e
had npon her.
On this point l\lother de Bly cites the fol1owing letter
addressed to l1erself by ~\Iadam e de ln Chamlne, in 1 fi 7D :
'')fy dear Rev. 1\lother, I am sending this to find on t how
you are and to tell yon that recently my eldest son who is
the physician of the Qneen, and my son 'd 10 is the Cu r of
St. Bartholomew, both dined "rith me. \Ye eon versed at
some length about our late l\Iother de ~Ia tel. ~-\.mong other
things, m.r eldest son said t hat l\L Habert, the Abbot of Cr isy, 'Y11ile saying )lass one day came t o t he Consecration, but
could not pronounce the words. This ma de him enter into
himself and ask God to giYe him light t o see the cau se of hi s
impediment of speech. After having made many repetitions
of that prayer for light, he finall y reeogn ized that he had
said or doue something against )lother de ) fatel. He made
a resolntion to repair bis fau1t and, at the same monient,
God gave him the grace of being able to pronounee t he words
of consecration. - Rev. )lother, I believe t hat this incident
ought not to be left in oblidon, but deserves to be iiiserted
in the life of onr )fother. I comrnend mysel f t o yonr prayers. To-morTo-w is my feast day.

LA C'I-LUIBTIE . ,
::\Iother de Bly adds what follows as recefred fro m persons of the highest character: "'The .A.bbot of C <~1isy had
heard some pe1sons ,y}10 did not knmY onr wort hy ::\Iothe1,
blmning her for not becoming a religions. This 'yas some
years after she had established her mo1rnRtery of Pari~. f n

GDG

LIFE OF .JE_\XXE CHEZ.AUD DE :i\IA'l'EL

an inqrnl~e of zeal, he adyi~ed her to take the habit solernnly

and snid that othe1wise he wonld neYer haYe anything to do
with her.'~
Xo one has eYer mentioned any othe1 occasion on which
the Abbot of Crisy had any Yiews contrary to tho~e of.1Iother de )Intel. Here we see how Onr Lord took the side of the
~n intl~ Foundress.
"'T'he Abbot of Saint-Just, a brother of 1f. de \'1le1oi,
Yicar (3-eneial of )Ionsignor Camille de :Xeuville, Archhishop of L~ons, one dny began to donbt if )Iother de Matel
,,e1e led by the good ~pfrit. He "Tished to be en lightened
once foi all and to iid himself of the idea that inclined him
to belieYe that our worthy :\Iother was seduced by the angel
of clmkne~s. He 1esolved to te11 his snsvicions to HeY. )Iothe1
:\fottlte" ~npe1iore~s of the Sers of St. Elizabeth,
\dtose conYent was in the quarter of Saint-Just, not far from
the eonYent of the )linim Fatbe1s. He was a director of that
:\fother, who " as ge11e1ally regarded as one specially fayored
hy God. as a saint, although she did not have )fother de
)f <el's g-ift for exp1essing the gTaces which she had receiYed
from the Di,ine Goodness. ~I. de Saint-.Jnst knew her inte1i 01 bett01 th an - ~rnyolle e 1se a rn 1 hnd en tfre con flenee in her.
He 01de1ed this deYont Mother :\Iatthew, in Yirtne of holy
ohe<lience. to pray God to make known to her by what spirit
)f other de )latel was actnated and whether she was being
gnled by the DiYine Spfrit. rrhis good religions obcyed sirnply :ind prompt1y this order of her director, whom she conside1<><1 her snpe1ior, and asked 0111 Lord ,y}rnt it plensed
Him :--:he shonld Ray to l\I. de ~ni11t-.J11Rt to dissipate his
doubts \Yith regmcl to :\fothe1 de ~fntel.
"'lJiR intinHe Goodnes~ wi~hed to rnake lrnown to HeY.
:\f othP1 ~" nHh0w how agTeenble to Him he1 obedience wnl'I
mHl Jppl i<<l to her: ')f y dangh te1, lrnow and Ray to yom di1c1J 01 th;1t ihe1e i~ no" 011 eadh 110 lw1Ro11 rno1e ag1eeable
Io ~IP thm1 :\fothe1 de ~fate1 - 1-11<lt ~hP i~ a ehild of' hP11edic1ion ;rnd on<' who i~ plPaRiug to ~le on <Hco11111 of he1 1m1i1y
<111d l1e1 lo"Jy opinion of he1Relf. Hhe mw1ibes Hothing good
Jo IH1~wlf' :\lld i<f<1~ to 111,,. pnn glo1y the g-1accs which l im -

TESTI:iro~IALS

3D7

im1t to her ont of ~ly love for her. Her fidelity in responding to them makes :Me generous to her. I haYe giYen her
cele~tial understanding to guide and instruct her iu :\ly
desires. ::No one eau be against this d1e1ished chiltl of :\ly
heart without being against Me. Assure your clirector of
this.'
'"This genuine child of obedience reported these w01d:s to
the _..:-\ bbot of Saint-.Just. To try he1 obedience_. be mo1e0Yer
commanded her to ask of God some sign which wonld prove
to himself that the words she had heard 'vere trnly from
God. )fothe1 ~latthew retnrned to her p1aye1s and did as )l.
de Saint-Just had ordered. Om L01d replied: You shall
have no other proof but this. I will hinder yonr director
from oft'e1ing the holy sacrifice of the :\lass~ whid1 is the
most holy offering that can be made to )[y Father. and I will
keep him thus powerless without his being confined to bed,
nntil he believes without hesitancy what you ha ,~e told him
from :\le.'
In fact, at that very moment, M. cle Saint-.Just felt in hi~
body the loss of all power of motion, althongh he experienced no pain, and be was unable to say :\lass or even go to
the chape!, which was on the same floor as his bed room.
He remained in this condition during fiye or six days. Hi~
penitent heard of what had happenecl and w1ote him a letter, beseeching him to corne to her monastery. so that she
might herself tell him what God had made known to her,
"~ith regard to the command he had gi"ren her the last time
she had seen him.
""The Abbot of ..Saint-.Jnst had himself canied in. a p01table chair to the conyent of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth.
2\fother ?\latthew told him all that Our Lord had said to her,
and info1med him tha t his powel'lessness i o move wa~ the
sign which the Divh1e :\Iajesty had jndged 1no1Je1 to give
him, to cure hif'( mind from the doubts that agitated him.
JI. de Raint-Jnst was amazed and, at the same time. acknowl
edged the goodness of God to himself. He recognized that
:\lother de ~latel was led by the Divine Spirit and he 1e11ou11ced all the onbt~ whith he had ha against her. His

598

LIFE OF

.JE.\~:\E

CHE~AUD

DE )L\.TEL

pmYers of moying wel"e iestored and the next day he enjoyed

bis mmal happiness of saying :Mass. In it, moreover, M. de
Saint-~Tust was so consoled and became so absorbed in conside1ing the goodness and love of God in deigning to cornmunica te with souls that walk with simplicity in His holy
in-e~enee. t lwt he had great difficulty in fini~hing his Mass.
He told these facts to Fathers Gibalin, Du Lieu, de Barri,
and several othe1 J esuit Fathers, who were friends of his
and of our 01;de1. He communicated to them all the details
which I haye he1e noted down and W'"hich I have taken
from t he ~I e moirs of Rister Frances Gravier, who herself
had learnecl them from these Fathers, and also from the
Abhot of Saint-Just, who made it his joy to publish the
wo11cle1~ w1cmght by Gofl in souls that are faithful to Him.
He mentionecl these facts also to M. Deville, an official of the
_..-\. rchbishop of L}.,. ons."
Xot a ll who had doubts about the sanctit.v of ~1other de
:Jlatel or about the source of her wonderful gifts, acted with
prnclen ee, like t hat of the Abbot of Saint-Just, or sought to
be enl igh ten ed . Rome \Yere willing to see only false brilliancy
in th e lights t hat dazzled them, or merely the effects of exceptional natnral talents joined to an intellect capable of
anal y zing an d penetrating things of the highest order. They
wel'e n ot asha mecl to spread their maliciom;; opinions, as we
1uwe seen in t he conrse of the life of the saintly :Mother.
'rl1is c h o rn~ of hlame came to her enrs. foi we read in her
writ i n g ~ :

''\Yith my lrnbitnal confidence. I complain to my Sponse

that some 11e1s01rn of distinction raised doubts whether the
l ights nnd knowlcdge which I had receiYed, p1occeded from
the good Rpfr it, and atfributed thcm to my readings and my
111 ern01'."- 'n1el'eas I do 110 ieading and cannot do any on
<t<' <..: rnm t of <lll almost continnon~ im1ning from one of my
Py e~.
I J1me lemned nothin: except from prayer. 'Yhen I
( ;tk P u p my )Jeu, l w1ite with g1eat ease for ,yhole honr~
" ii11 0 11 t Iookin; at nn.r book except the Bible. At times my
Ji ~111 <1 e~1 m10t kec p 11 J) wit Ji rny i deas , on aeeon 11 t of the

'l'EST! ~\IOXIALS

509

inomptneRs with which my mind is enlightened with the multitude of thonghts that rush in like snnbeams.
':Jiy Loye consoled me according to His W'"01it, and said
that my readings wonld not be snfficient cause of snch effeets ~ that "~hat I experienced was not a stud~r but a profusion of His !:naceR ~ that not the multitude but the wealth
and nobility of lights are to be prized, and that one diamond
rnny be worth more than all the rest in a jevrnler's shop; He
esteems that diamond rn01e highly than a whole quarry, but
if that diamond could mnlti1)l~,. itself and through a multitude of sparklings prodnce ne"~ lights and new diamonds, in
it we wonld 1wssess a great treasnre. :Jly danghter. the ext1aordimny lights 'Yhich I impart to yon, are represented
by this com1J::wison. In one sublime word of truth, He reYealed to me a nrnltitude of others. These lights always
g'l'O\Y with a marYelous multiplication. This surpasses all
ieading or study, as I see from the following consideration.
St. .John. 'd10 was Our Lord 's beloYed dis<iple, had seen few
of His mi1aeles or other acts, yet he says that the "'"hole uniYerse could not contain all the books and Yolnmes that could
be written on these snbjects. I t was becanse in one act he
sa"~. through the light of the DiYine " . . 01d, n nrnltitnde of
01)eration~. and in one aet he learned mnny. This often lu-q1pens to myself. \Yhen I am able to "Tite. T am forced to
take many hours to t>xpress one thought which my DiYine
Lon~ flashes npon me in a short time.
I..i~.dlt enlightening
me. multiplies itself.
"T also corn plain to my DiYine LoYe. bec a use some persons reproached me by sa:ying that my explanation of the
Rcriptnres ,,~as not according to the literal sense. It is little known by men, and God often rese1yes the knowledge of
it to Rim~elf. He told me that the Prophets knew full "'"ell
,,,.hat they were saying. but did not always know w'"hat their
O\\'"n words ~ignified. The :Jlessiah assures us that Isaias had
nnly 1n-ovhe~ied ahout the Pluuisee~. and yet that lH'OJJhet
had neyer thought of them. and that the Eternal Father
eom11rnniea te~ all His lights to His DiYim~ 'Yord, in 'rI10111,
<-'

()()()

LlFE Ob-,

.JEX~XE

CHEZARD DE JU.ATEL

as in the sac1ed mchetypes, are all the Scriptu1e~ and all the
know1edge and understanding of them. He is the figure and
the substance of the Father, the splendor of His glo1y and
the stainless mirror of His Majesty. He is the only \Yord of
that DiYine Father, His only Sc1ipture and the literal sense
of all that is written. It is necessary to rend in Him to haYe
kuowledge of it.
'"J fy Divine Spouse said to me: Since, then, I am the
g1eat Archetype of the hue liie1al nnde1sta11di11g, nnd since
I commnnicate l\fyself to thee so libel'ally, by vosscssing l\le
dost thon not possess the literal sense <U1d the complete
Archetype? Sin ce I ha ye made thee, like another Archet;ype,
from which cornes the multitude of expositions "hich are admired in thee, it is from l\f;y own abnndance that I place in
thy spirit all that I please. 'fhe extracts made from these
.\iehetypes shall be admirable and one day they shall cause
astonisl1111ent to those who see what I haYe imparted to thee,
without any study or labor of thy own. Let those talk who
are ignorant of :Jiy f~wors bestmved uvon thee, to "hom I
haYe given the knowledge of sublime mysteries.'
")fy Divine Love finally told me that I had nothing to
fen l' and that I liave in myself the ol'igina 1 and su bstantial
image of the Father which is the \Yord 1 which I saw thonsarnls of wonders; that I must not app1ehe11d any shortcomiugs in my written 01 oral disconrses, since He was rny
Light, ll1y Teacher and my ':rrnth, and that from the year
lHlD, when I received the commaud of my director to write,
He had 1womised not to permit me to w1ite e1Tors and to continue to teach me and to giYe me an ab1111danee of light.m
~\ftcr this Testimony of testimonies, n othiug el8e seems
worth while recording.
1

\\' l'itings of l\lotlier <1e l\latel. Vol. T, p. !)59.

TESTDIONIALS

Heart of Mother de 1\fatel.

Her Autobiograpl1y, her books, ancl Yarious abjects used by her.

G01

CIIAPTER XXXlI
The Monastery of Paris After the Death of Mother
de Matel

1G70-1G7:2
rrhe StOl'lll which was let loose npon the monastery of
Paiis, and cast a gloom on the last hotns of l\Ioiher de ~fatel
lnnst forth Still mo1e YOlently after her death. r_rhe destruction, whkh her 1no1)hetic Yi:-;ion had shown to her as certain,
is now to be eompleted. 1 :l\Iother de Bly consecrates mo1e
than three lnmdred pages of her Manuscript 1llcmoir to this
sad event. W'" e can giYe only a b1ief sketch of it.
Dom Yictor Tixier, the Prior of the Abbey of Saint-Germain, came some days after the death of the Foundress to
proceed, with a connnissioner, to take away the seals, which,
aeco1ding to his ol'de1s, had been placed npon the apmtments occnpied by the ''enerable :;)lother. He hoped to find
there a qnantity of money and therefore was unwilling to
pel'mit an.r one of the ~istel's of the Incarnate "Tord to be
present at his inspedion. He admitted only :l\Iadarne Lenet
and some of the strnnge Sisters. He had deceiYed himscl f.
All the treasnl'es eonsisted of somc old c1othes and worthle~s
1>ieccs of furnitme.
After the vtation, they :-;ei~ed ~f.:ter Frances Gravier,
who con l not be pal'doncd for the donation made in fayor of
her by the Yene1ated <leeca:-;ed. ~he was immediately thrown
ont of the monaste1y aml, f.:0111e days la.ter, she wns cast into
p1iso11 nnder a fn]:-;e aeensation written nnd signed by the
ha11d of ~fr . Petit, a f'1iend of the Prim. 'l'he following wcl'e
the ehmges : 1. ~he lrnd sednccd the mind of l\Iother de
~fakl. ~ .
~he Jw<l ill -l1ented hcr and eYen had strnck her.
1T l10 eve nt s r 0 la te cl in tllis c l!:i.pt C' I' ;i. r e ail tak e n from th e Manusc ri pt Mc rno i l' or l\ l o t.I H' I' <k Bl y, Pa l't l rr. exc<:>pt wl w r e th c rc is special
mentio n o!" ot lw 1 soll rC'es.

G02

AF'l'ER 'l'HE DEA.TH OF ::'IIOTHER DE ::'IIATEL

603

3. She had stolen the sacred yessels and all the silYerware
of the clrnrch of the Incarnate \Yord. Rhe was confined in
the prisons of the Grand Chtelet. 1
The friends of the monastery, as well as )Jother de Bly,
were soon actiYely occupied in trying to set her free. But
their efforts were in Yain for a time. Her enemies made
most grave thl'eats and en::n said that --~he would be hanged
in the Place de Grrc/' After she had been kept some time
in prison, tho~e \Yho had had her incarcerated, had a proposa] made to lier that she should renounce the donation which
had been made by Jlother de Jlatel. On this condition the~"
would haYe her released and \Yould giYe her hvo thousand
crowns. Sister Frances GraYier, feeling he1self gnilty of no
misdeed, refused. The means \Yhich her accusers then took
to esta blish her guilt, serYed only as triumphant proofs of
her innocence. ~he left the Chtelet after two months' imprisonment.
Jlother de Bly, from her monaster~-. of . Our Lady of
Lies~e, became more and more anxious about the misfortunes
which threatened the conyent of the Incarnate Y\" ord. Her
best friends adYised her to submit to :Jiadame Lenet, who
was now more than eyer sustained and en couraged in her ambitions Yiews by l >om Tixier. To continue resistance \YOuld,
withont any doubt, bring on complete ruin of the monastery.
She was assured that the Pri01 was taking measures to expel the Sisters of the I ntarna te \Yord and esta blish an Abbey of Benedictine nuns. He had now more than eYer become master of the situation by the cleath of J[onsignor
Hardonin de Beaumont de Prfixe, Archbisl10p of Lyons,
\Yhich lrncl haJ)pened on .J anuary 1, 1671, and, as Yicar Gene1al, he had found the means of haying himself appointed
sole judge of religions nffail's 'both in the rity of Paris and
in its submbs."
1 Th us w e r e v e rifi e d t h e Jll'OJ)h e ti c wur s of i\I o th e r t1 e l\I a t e l uttere d t o Sis t e r Fra n c es G r a Yi e r o nl y a fe s\ days b e f o r e h e r cl ea th :
"My daughter. how much yo u will h ave t o s uff e r af t e r m y d ea th .
You will be put in prison. Y o u will be g r eatl y t o rm e nt e d. But be
f a ithful to God. H e will aid yo u to ove r co m e thos e wh o will a ffli c t
you." l\Ianuscript l\Iemoir of l\'Ioth e r de B l y , P a rt II, ch. XLI.

G04

LIF'E OF JJ.1JANNE CHEZARD DE

~lA'.rEL

After nrnch opposition, l\fother de Bly, to whom the interests of her monastery were paramount, sacrificed her own
most legitimate hopes and consented to make a compromise
with l\ladame Lenet. On the twentieth of J anuary, Dom
~rixier came to see her and made eYery effort to triumph
oye1 her last resistance. She finally promised to recognize
~ladame Lenet as Superioress, on the express condition that
this lady should take the habit of the Incarnate 'Vord, and
that, at her death, the Sisters should iesume their right to
elect their Superi01ess and should be allowed to receYe novices in the future. Dom ~rixier promised also to do all in
his power to un burden the monastery from the nlms of varions Orders who had been brought there by the order of the
Archbishop of Paris, July, 1670.
The Prim was finally sa tisfied, agreed to these clauses,
and consented to the return of l\1other de Bly to the con\'ent of the Incarnate 'Vord, to which he "'ould in person
bring her back, and a day was fixed for this. Before departing, he exacted that "she should do an net of civility, by a
few words in a letter to Madame Lenet, which he would
take care to deliver." She obeyed, but on purpose omitted
the title of Superioress in the address. The Prior sent the
letter back for this omission to be snpplied. His note, coutaining this injunction, also stipulated the conditions to
which he had agreed for the acceptance of the snperiority of
Madame Lenet. l\fother de Bly kept this note as documentary evidence to be used when oecmon "'<mld offer.
On January 22, 1671, she re-entered he1 monastery, accompanied by Dom Tixier and some friends who conside1ed
it a dnty to give this testimonial of sympnthy to the valiant
Mother .
~ro sec her aga in 'n1s hof snddening mHl cousolillg:.
1 ow nrneh ~h e and hc1 Ri:-;i ers had ~mffered <lming hcr nhNC'Hee ! But, wheu :-;]1p i11 l'mml'<l Jip1 Ri:-;te1s of the nnnngcrn ent s whfrh shc hnd made wit h the P1i01, 1h<~.'' <lisnpJ>l'OYP<l
of' ]ip 1 snbmission. l\'fost of' 1hcm ~onld sec il1 it only a
rn can s shc had 11scd to rc-entc1 the rnollfdcry. Sorne we1e
ahso1ute1y umdlliug to gire up auy of their rights. Othcl's

AF'l'ER THE DE.\.TH 01', :.\IOTHER DE .\L\.TEL

wished to delay their dedsion nntil they knew the decree of

the Primate. The.v said that they conld then dcide on the
course to take. All were nnited in opposition to her plans,
and thus rende1ed ber attem1Jts at conciliation nseless.
T'he Pri01 had expected the Risters to agree p10111ptl~T and
had kept his mn1 promise b~T sending myay at least some of
the sange nuns. In fact fonr had departed in conseqnence
of his order. After ne'Y ieqnests and uew tlneat~, he nsed
his authority confened by his office of Yicar General, during the \acancy of tlle ~ee, and pnbli~hed an order dated
Febrnary 27, 1 G71, by whfrh he inclnded the conYent of the
Incmnate \Yorcl among the snppressed monasteries. This
order, in its seYere terms. is nnde1 onr eyes. \Ye extract frorn
it the passages which conce111 onr affair.
rictor Ti.Jicr. Prinr of tlu, .Jbcy of Saint-Germain-dcs;Prs,. ricar Oc11cral. usiny the uuthority of tlrn Abl)ey. during the vacancy of the Sec. in i:irtuc of the terms of the act
of September 20. 1668. greeting in Our Lord. The lote rnost
Illustrious au<l 1no8t Rcz;ercnll Lord ~lrchbislwp of Paris.
Hardouin de BcauJJJont dr I'rfi.re. of pious mcmory. hai;ing becn infonncd, etc.
After an exposition of the reasons which jnstify the snppre~sion of the monasteries, it continues:
Knozcing the
great good donc to the public by the Gencral Hospital of the
city of Paris_. that the said establishment is of the greatest
utility and tlwt zce are zcitnesses that the intention8 of the
late 1llon8ignor. de Prfi.re lcere no othrr thon to join the
lands and othcr good8 of the said mo1w8teries to the 8aid
Hospital,. for thcse reasons zce lwcc appraised ancl applicd
and by tlze8e prcscnts do apprai8e and appl!J to the rJeneral
Hospital of Paris) all properties mornblc and immorable, of
1rlwtsorrcr nature tlwy may be and of zrlwtsorrcr tllcy 1nay
ronsi8t. bclonging to the monastery of flif' Tncarnatc ll"onl.
to the House of 8t. Anne or Canoncsscs l?cgul<lr of 8t. Auyustine,. to the Bcnedictinc 8isters of the Cow;;olation. to the
Hospital of Jlother Jlaillanl. and other supprcssed monastcties) 1ce icill that all and each of the sa id properties be used

GOG

LIFE OF

.TI~.\NNE

CHEZAIW DE l\IATEL

for tllr adro~1tayc of tllc poor tllrough tllc care of tllc Administrntors of tllc saill Gcucrol Hospital, etc.
Gircn in our mouastcry of 8aint-Gcrmain-dcs-Prs_. the
t1centy-seccntl1 of F'c7Jruary of tlle prescnt ycar) one tllousawl,. si.x lrnnd1cd and sciwnty-one.
F. VICTOR ':l"'IXlER)
Prfor and Yicar General.
F. Llrscn ius JI orissca u) Scey.
W'th regaid to this mder, ~Iother de Bly exclaims:
""In the v1essing n ecessity of 1wodding for the snppol't of tbe
nnns who had been placed in our eonyent six months before,
and who had b rought W'ith them only some old furnitme, it
would haye been most pl'oper to show some reasons for this
onler. But as the Parliament of Pa_ris, with the consent of
the Arehbishop and the reqnest of onr Foundress, had ordered the registering of the King's Lette1s for the establishment of 0111 co11ve1d of Pmis, this Pl'im, being nnable to find
in onr ~iste 1s any can~e to act pnhlicly against us. with the
]m11w~e of s1H<eeding in his plan. bethonght hiirn~elf of coloring his mder with geueric 1eason~ and s11ecious pretexts, so
that, wliile 1atifying the suppressions which had aheady
heen confhmed, he adroitly iuclnded our rnin \Yith that of
the othe1s and aniYed by this way at the execntion of the
tlueats whid1 he had iwevion~ly made.
u can be ti-nly ~aid tliat this OJder was the 1wincipnl
ahyss whieh thi~ P1i01 <lng while he waN ('OlllJ>a:-;sing om
total 1niu, :rnd that om wol'tl1y ~fofp1 was not pmely
visi01w1y i11 frlli11; 11s 011 rnany ot'(tsio11s i11 the 1wecedi11g
.n}m, i lrnt ill om ClNP Ood mnde he1 ~<}( 11othi11g hut abysse~.
'l,his ahyss is iPnihh} and is f'ollowp<l hy otlH\1s which me 110
Jpss (en.iblP, si1we if is lllll1ifo~t llwt all tlttt lwN heell donc
ng:timd llN si11(e 111ai 1i111P, 01igi11nlPN f'1om (liai thyss wlii<'h
l1<td fi11ally <'ll,'lllf <<l llN i11 th<' ('l\'PN whi<"l1 ilie P1io1'8 l'eNP11t111P1tl l1nd <lng ll ~C('J'('('_Y, :Ill<l ildo wl1i<"11 WC lllYe f'o111Hl
0111 s ph <~s p1(~(ipil dP<l and l'tlliHg 1'10111 ahyN8 io nhyss, withont :tll 0111 effmt-s beiHg abl e to saYe U8 from this fall, after

AFTER THE DEATH OF :\IOTHEn DE :\L\.TEL

G07

the refnsal of " ""hich I lia Ye spoken. This makes me belieYe

and also say on ceitain occasions, that we "ere pnrsued in
all onr ways by 1)jyine .J nst ice rather tlwn hy that Prim\ and
that I consi<le1ed him a~ a ~courge ,~d1kh DiYine .J n:-;tke nsed
as its instrument to chasti se us for the little heed "e gan~ to
the warnings nttered by our worthy )lother, when ~he 'Yas
being irnportunecl to sign the deed of A ngust 18, H>G:\ the
terms of which she disaJJIWOYed and "hich taused all the mis. fortunes that hwre corne n1JCm us."
)lother de Bly consecrates the "hole of a long chapter
to proYing the injustice of that measme in as far as it conce1ned her Sisters. She analyzes the iniquitous orde1, article after arti cle. She adcls: "By the ad,ice of graYe counselors, I drafted a list of om grieYance~ to "hich I might refer, in case we shonld find some one "ho "ould take cogniz~1nce of them. I followed their ad,rice, and moreon~r we had
this memorial printed after we had shown it to seYeral lawyers of the Parliament and the Conne-il, by \Yhom it was approYed as it had been preYionsly apprmed also by noctois
of theology and :Jloralists to '""hom l had shmYn it, from fear
lest it might conta in some "ords con frary to charity. 'fhe!"e
told me not to let my conscience be trou bled as I had sa id
nothing contrary to truth, and those \Yho are attacked. are
permitted to defend themselYes, and that I eYen had an obl igation to uphold the rights of our Conununlty and to use eYer.v opportuni ty which wonld be offerecl."
\\. . e shall not follo" the annalist of the monaste1y of Paris
in the struggles sustained by the Risters of the Incarnate
\Yord against what the Pri01 called his kinclnesses. or
against the efforts of his resentment. The reading of these
pages is too har1owing. ~rhis unequal contest was to end in
the defeat of those 'Yl10 had right on their side, m1d in the
npholding of the law of might.
The King had been askef1 to issue Lettei:s ratif~ing the
famouR order of the Pri01 of Saint-Ge1111ain. 'rl1e adminiRtrato1s of the HoRpital, on the- side, zealousl~~ exertecl
themselYes to 1nocure the registe1ing of these Letters by the
Parliament. 'J'he case '""as to be decided in three days, at the

GOS

LIFE OF

.mA~:N'E

CHEZ.AUD DE -:.\INl'EL

latest. rrhe frieuds of the monastery and especially ~Ir. de

Hossignol, " Te1e actiYe iu seekiug at least a delay. l\fr. de
Rossignol was uot Rlow in finding la,Yyers willing to defend
the opp1essed ~isters mlCl he eYen snceeeded in conyincing
Norne of the jndgcs of the truth. All Pmis was mouRed OYer
the atfair, and took sides for 01 against the 8istcrs of the Incanrnte W"o1d, who were fayored by the greater nmnber.
But this show of sympathy did not preyent the fatal issue
which had bceu foreseen only too clearly.
On Ap1il 2:1, 1671, ~f other de Rhodes, Snperioress of the
m01rnRte1y of Lyons, sent word tha t the decision of the Primate had becn fayorable to the ronyent of Paris, and that
~Iothcr Elias of the Cross, Su1)crioress-elect of that monastery, had already left Lyons to go to the capital. In fact she
arrfred there on A1nil :.n, with Mother l\Iargaret of Jesns
Gibalin and Sistc1 of the Presentation Robert of the couvent
of A Yignon. ~rhcy brought with them the sentence of the
Prinrnte. Ou )lay 7, )fothe1 Elizabeth of Calvary Gerin and
~fngdalcn of the f\meeptiou Tiay of the Honse of Grenoble
came and joined them.
X one of these went to the mouastery of the Incarnate
W'ord, el'nuse the Conncil of the Primacy had told them not
to JHlt iu their appemance there, before :Madam Lenet had
been notified of the sentence against her.
'Yhen the sente1}('e wnN 1neNen te<l by Mother l\Iargmet to 1f onNignor du
I-Imlny, A1Thhi:d10p of Paris and successor of l\fonsignor de
Prfixe, he did not 1nomise its execution and had it placed
in the handR of the Official.
)fother de Bly writes: " Dom rrixier happened to be at
the . . \1chhishoprie when the l\Iothers presentecl themselyes
theie, and hastened to inform Madame Lenet of what lrnd
htken pbu_ e and instrncted hc1 how to act towanls the ~loth
e1s m1<1 omselYes. He thcn aRRcrnled n~ and fol'hade UR in
tJJ< llllllC of the .i: \JThhi~hop, who had bcen infine11ced by the
P1io1, to spPtk to tl1c ,\lothp1~ if thcy <'arne to Ree nR. He
t<ldP<l ~e\c>1:tl tl11cats to i11iimidaJ-e n~:'
< )n tl1e otli01 han<l, the re;i~te1i11; of the Ki"ng'R letters
<0111<1 Hot be <lPIH.n <l. 'l'his 11ii~htkP h"d Jo lw 1p111edie<l irn1

AI<~'rBR 'l'Hl'J I ...\'l'H OF l\lOTHER DE :\lA'l'EL

60D

mediately. ~rbe dange1 had become imminent. No one ha

an;v illusions on wlwt wonld be the issne of the trial. It w.as
necessary to corne to a inomFt dedsion a bon t the course to
pnrsue. AlJ the friends and addsers of the mona:.;tery were
of the opinion that it was best, in order to escape a greater
evil, to com1nomise with l\fadame Lenet, in the hope that the
Prior would be finally appeased and put his iesonrceful
zeal at the Rervice of the couvent, which was to be defended above . ail. As we have already seen, the 8iste1s of
the monaste1y had been solicited by Mother <le Bly to take
this course, and they now understood that pel'lrnps some
hope remaiued from such an alliance and they agreed to it.
'rhe three Uothers, who had corne from the other monasteries, also adopted tbis extreme measure. Although they had
heen kept ont of the couvent by the Archbishop, the Pri01
.and Ma<lame Len~t, the,v had been kept info1med of aII that
was happening by l\fothe1~ de Bly, who was aided by some
p1udent and faithfnl adviserR. 'rhese three l\Iothe1s "\Yere exerting all their efforts through influential friends to secure a
favorable outcome of the trial. But as they saw that all
things pointed to the winning of the case by the adversaries
of the Sisters, they had Mother de Bly secretly indnced to
prepare the said contract.
l\fr. le Breton, . one of the lawyers, having corne to see
l\1other de Bly, she begged him to draw np the document according to clauses which she stipulated and which she had
long before weighed and determined npon as being advantageous to the monastery, except the clause refening to the
iight of the superiority in l\fadame Lenet.
'Ye extract the principal points:
"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Roly Ghost. The relip;ions of the Couvent of the Incarnate
\Yord~ establishetl in the ~nbmh of Saint-Germain-des-Prs
in Paris, Grenelle street, having assembled in the nsnal manuer in order to deliberate abont thei1 affairs and especially
about this point that several of their friends, who are theil
spiritual and temporal adviscr~, have iufmmed them thnt
~Ionsign or d n Hal'lay, Ard1 ishop of Pal'is, their la wfnl

lO
~nvel'iol',

LIF'E OF

.J]~.\NN!'J

CHEZAUD DE l\IATEL

desil'es that they ietain in the offiee of Superioress

of thefr monaNte1y, :\lntlnrne Christine Lenet, an. Ursuline
mm of Chalons-s m-~eine, of the diocese of Langres. The
said l'eligious have d ecided and declared tliat they will con~ent to a('know ledge the said lady ns ~npe1io1esR, after she
haN made ber 1nofession and taken hl' wnn~ atcording to
the l'etJUisite forms a nd IJI'Omised to live and die in the spfrit
of the Rn1e and Con~t itutions of the Iu~titnte, however without this ha ving any consequences aftel' her death , or causing
any prejudice to thefr right to elect their mn1 8uperioress
atf'oiding to the pI'h'ilege given th em by theil' Constitutions.
The followiug a1e some of the other l'Onditions: "'l. 'l'he
~nid lady slwll inoeme tlwt theh l' ase, which is pending befme the Grand Charnbe1 of the Parliament and lias not been
decided on f_T<Hmt of the oJn)Qsition of the ieligious to the
regi~te11g of the King's Letters patent obtained on ~I~uch
:20, 1G71, afte1 a false staternent, shall be terminated by a dee1ee ierogniziug a~ jm-d the oppositiorn~ of the Naid l'eligion~
of i he ~a i d )Ionm~te1y a nd of other religions of their said
(on:1egtiion, and that the said religion s shall be kept and
rnaiutained in the Jl<>~~es~ion and enjoyment of the prope1tie~ and I 'eYClllH_l~ of' t hcir said Monastery, and that in the
futme no one slrnll have any power io molest them. 2. 'l'he
said lady shall ohtnin from ~lonsign<H' th e Archbishop of
PmiN, an orde1 eont1my to and annnlling the 01de1 issued
by HeY. Father Vid01 'rixier, Prim of the A bbey of RaiutUe1111ain -des-P16R, 011 Feln1rn1y 27, 1()71. y which or<ler he
diKRoln~ <l the sai(l )lonaste1y which ha<l ceu app1med and
e ~tahli~hed hy the dee1ee of the said Conl't on .Jnne lD, 1()70.
:L ~lie shlll ohtaii1 the (li~rnissa] of the 1eligion~ of vniion~
()]'(1 e1K who hm'e hce11 bl'Onght into the sa;a ~IorntNtery in vi11-ue of' t hP N:ti<l <lP<Tee. 4-. 'rhe Rtid lady Nhall h(ffe no anl ho1iiy io llltkP m1y <'hm1gr> i11 ihe C011Ntihttio11N, CnNtom~, ol'
<1e1c}n10Hinl of' the ~ai< l C011gregnt-i011, withont- ihe i11tenelllio11 :rnd ons<-ni of' the <'irnpl-e1 of' the said Ilon~c and of the
ot l1e1 11 ou~e~ of i he < >1"<lP1. !>. ~hc sJrnll not iccei \'e any reJ igiorn.; wlio iis llO( :1 rne111he1 or th e Cong1egation.
G. 'rhc

AFTER 'l'HE DEATH OF :\10THER DE ::)IATEL

611

incomes and pension s slrnll be receivecl b.r the Bursar nd be

deposited in the chest of the 2\Ionnstery. 7. The said lady
shall cause to be brought back to the said 2\Ionnster~T all the
originals of the deeds and contracts and other documents
'vhith 'Ye1e giYen up on Jfarch 1 D, 1 G70, by 2\Iother de Bly,
eallecl in religion Jeanne of J esus, who 'Yns then Superioress
and who was fo1ced to obey the Edicts of the King and the
Deerees of the Parlinment, and to place them in the hanch;
of Jiess1s. fi uillaunw, Bernard de Rz nnd du Laurent,
Councilors of the Grnnd Chnmber of the said Court, deputed to examine all the titles of all the Houses of mms. S.
The titles of the sa id ConYent ha Ying been recoyerecl, shall be
eyer kept locked np in the chest of the ArchiYes, ns is reqnired by the Constitutions of the snid Congregn tion."
_,AJter the mticles hnd een thus drawn np, the law~T ers
hdYised not to let Jlndnme Lenet know of them nntil after
an attempt hnd been macle to obtain from the . .-\..rehLishop his
permission for Jloth er El1s of the C1oss nnd lier eompanions to ente1 the ::\lonnste1y. He consented only on condition
that l\Indame Lenet shoulcl ag1ee to it. After mnny mgent
requests she consented only for Jlother EUas of the Cross
'vho had fallen Yery ill some days before. But when the permission w-ns taken to her, it was too late, for she died the
following night.
Hmyever her r emnins were brought to the Conveu t to
be lrnried beside the saintly Fonndrefo;s. 'I'he religions of
Avignon and Grenoble were allowed to enter for the
funeral ceremonies, but Jlndame Lenet exntted their departure immediately after. HmYeYer one of the1 became
snddenly Yery ill and her depal'tnre had to be put off.
The religions were then able to confer with one another
on their affairs. T'he g:reater nnmber wished to clo~e the
contract ,dth 3Ia(lame Lenet as soon ns possible and hinted
this to her. In the h ove of snYing the monastel'y it 'vas
only the part of prudence to yieh1 to fo1ce 11d1ich "as
oppressing them without any right. Jlother of CnlYary
Ge1in was opposed to this plan. She wished to mn1it the
end of the frial.

612

{.. IFE OF .TEA~NE CHEz.\.rm DE l\IA'l'EL

The frien ds of the monaste1y, on their si de, made every

effol't to lning this grave coutlict to an elld. l\fr. de
Hossignol1 did all in ltis power to prepme the way for
a senteuee fnyo1able to the 1e,Jigions of the Incarnate ".,. ord
and to prevent the iegistering of the King's Letters patent.
He eYen obtained an interview "Tith the King at SaintGe1main-en-Laye 1o plaee before him the injustice which
'\Yas about to be accomplished in his name by the Parliament, and, by the onle1 of' Louis XIY, he afterwards '\Yent
to l\fr. Le. 'l'ellier, the :Jiiniste1 of State, to awaken his
conf'cienee about the important affair which was to be decided. rrhe1e we1e hopes also of obtaining great help from
the intel'vention of the . .-\Jchbishop of Lyons and the Bishop
of Grenoble who then happeued to be in Paris. In spite
of the zeal and intelligent dcYotedness exercised in these
etfol't~, they all failed.
'rhis had always been the way.
\Yhen a11 the best elements seemed to have been brought
togethe1 to ensnre snecc8s, tltey were again scattered. The
finger of God was the1c !
.:\f adame Lenet, who for a while had hoped to see her
plan reali7.ed by the adherenee of the Sisters to her inteiests, now beemne awnie that no agreement conld be reached,
and exacted the depn l'tnre of the Jfothers of Grenoble and
Avignon from the monastery. ':l"'he advisers of the monaste1y we1e eommlted and nq.~ed the immediate signing of
the contrad and came to the couvent for that purpose.
Jfothe1 Gerin wo11ld li~en to nothing and remainecl ob~tinate in her 1efn~al to f-;i;n it.
rrhe Pri01, urged by
Jfndnmc Lenet, g1anied a delay of one mo1e wcck. 'l"'hey
lwth lrnd tltei1 lH}nl'ts f-ict npon closing th0 ntfair in a way
advm1t<\p:e0118 to tJH_'lllSl}lYe~. rrhc day~ slipped away in
pa i 11 mHl m1g11 i ~h, l 1Hl one ~lay won ld pi ti1cs81y destroy
the l1ope thai h:Hl hee11 hl'onglit .hy the day bcfore. Mothcr
<le B~ly ~lY~: J thongl!t t t'he timc that God permitted
this to 1rnrnilia1e ns mH1 fo' n}1i1\ t-he w01ds spokcn hy
om HeY. J[oi lier J~"om1d1c~s a t Lyo11~ to the fote 1\f. de ln
Pill'(li<'1e, iu the yem 1n:-,!l, J)(lmely, that ~fothcr Gerin
1Tl 1i r-; fait li fu l fri en !l or t lH' m o n:1 r-;t ery r enrn in e cl
d C' \' Ot e <l to tll e Pncl. 1-IC' clif' cl in 11i 8 3, ag- e (l 8:~ y ears.

corn;; tant n nd

AF'l'ER THE DENl'H OF -:\10THER DE -:\IATEL

613

would clesfroy onr Conyeut of Paris. This 1\f other had

corne on this last jonrney withont being asked, and was
nmY11Iing to joiu us in this grave Cl'isis on whid1 the
saving of the House dependcd. Many attributed its l'uin
to ber and said "'she had eome to finish in 1G71, what she
had commenced in 1GG3, by the article insel'ted in the
contract of August 18, of thnt year 1G63."
Affairs remained in that state until the end of the
trial 'Yhich was decided on September 4, after a great
debate. The majority of the councilors had protested
against the injustice of giving the properties of the monastery of the Incainate 'Yord to the Hospital. Mr. de Rz,
w"ith the proofs in his bands, pleaded the cause of the
Sisters. He atfrmed that it was an unprecedented net
to suppress a community against which nothing could be
snid and was a burden to no one and well provided with
means of suppol't, and that bis conscience compelled him
to hear witness to the truth and to protest against this
odious robbery.
1\fr. de Lamoignon, the first President, who ''by the
permission of God was less of a judge than of a par,:t:y
in this affair,'' sustained the contrary conclusion, insisting
on the anthority of the King and the Church who had
pronounced judgrnent, and to whom ought to be left the
responsibility for this mensure. If there were wrong, this
rested on the Ecclesiastical Superiors, and thus the consciences of the Councilors were not iesponsible for it. One
circumstance was noteworthy. The argument on which the
P resident insisted the most strongly was that one of the
contracts of the monastery declared that the properties
of the monastery were a restitution, an acquittal of conscience) and consequently by right revel'ted to the poor. 1
Therefore, the alarms of the venera ble Foundress from the
insertion of that clause in the contraet of August 18, 1GG:3,
1Doubtless he would not have succeeded in carrying his motion.
if he had not brought in several Councilmen who had no knowledg e
of the merits of the case and blindly followed the first Presi de nt.

()14

LU'E OF .JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\IATEL

i11 spite of her fmrnal O]>pORitions, we1c not vain. It was

JJOW seen how right shc had been in spnrlling it so energetieally.
'l1he <lccision 1endc1ed 011 Septembe1 4, 1 G71, deereed:

all flic 1JIOr<l7C <IJld JJIJ110VO7C 1J1"0jJrrty of tllc

:s11pprcsscd Rousrs. at tlle hcad of which is tlwt of tllc
J ncarn a te lron7. sli a 77 e in corporo tcd in t li c G cncra l H ospita l of the Pieta. and tlrnt Us Administrators slwll be
lwwul only to f11rnish food and lodging to the Sistcrs wlw
rcuw in,. etc.
:\Ir. le Breton, one of the hrnTye1R, came directly from
'J'llat

the Court to bring the fatal news to the monastery of the

Incainnte '\Y 01d. He sa id to Mother de BPly:
.. Y onr case haR heen jndged and lost. No matter how
right you are , you are deprived of all." Arnl the faithful
mmalist observes: .. Our Ronse of Paris, on that nufortunate day, saw itself desfroye<l by three 01 fonr words
inononuced by one of the most pious, emthly miuiste1s
of justice and those " r01ds were like so man.r thunderbol~ hnrled hy the justil'.e of God."
'rhe Sisters, ont of the depths of distress and despair,
'tished to han~ reeomse to the Prim and procure a remedy
fol' their actual eyils from him who had been their anthor.
From their painfnl expe1ienees they realized his resourcefulness and hO]Je that lie would not refuse to put his
ahility at their serYice ill their misfortunes, and that he
wo11ld e irnpelled to help them so as to help l\Iadame
Lenet, with whorn tliey now 1egTetted thcy had not been
able to (lo~e the ahon~ meHtioned confract. \Yell informed
pel'sonR aRsnred them that the disastrons deciRion wonld
Hot haYe been made ng-aiw~t the mollastery withont the
secret in1lnence of l >om 'l'ixie1 who was at the ottom
of the whole affni1, if th<y had eonselltcd to the compromise
and si~ne<l H. ~Jother <le B(ly says: ''1,his was m;;king
]ife t'rom hirn wlto h:t<l giv<11 them thPir de<lth hlow. 'rhe
outcorne HJ>]'('n1ed io he a scc1et of Go<l which was a complete rnyste1,v to the minds of all. T11deed the fail11re of
th is last e ffm'i rnade in fayor of ~ln darne Le11et, ma ni-

AFTER 'l'HE DL\TH OF ~IOTHEU DE ~IA'l'EL

615

fested that God waR nmdlling for her to end her days in
our House, and tlwt He prefened to see us all exiled
from it rather than :-:ee her remain in it and retain over
UR the power which she had covetecl with so much ob.;,;tinacy. ~'
A letter enclosing the contract :--:ignecl by all the Sisters of the Incarnate \Yord, except )lother Gerin, was
sent to the Archbishop through the Prior who was very
" illing to aid in this step and even sai that he eould
be counted npon to bring back .the deds~on of the Grand
Chamber. The opposition of )lother Gel"in again caused
nll efforts to fail. )Jother de Bly says: "The decree
of onr ruin had been pronounced by the justice of God,
a Tribunal from whieh there was no appeal." This last
effort had no result except to retard for some months the
execution of the sentence of the Parliament.
'l1he religion:-; of Grenoble, )fother Gerin, and her companion~ soon receiYed 01clers to retu rn to their mn1 mo11aste1y. They left Pnl'is on October ~1, 1671; )lotller Gerin
"as g1eatly disappointecl. As the )lemoirs Ra~. she had
corne in order to make he1self a fixture the1e. 'I1his i~
the explanation of her obRtinaey and her singulm opposition to what was helieved to be best for the monaste1y
of Paris.
The directors of the Hospital "ere not slow to take
lJossession of the prope1ty of the Hou se of the I ncaina te
W'" ord. 'l'hey seized the title deeds w hich secured to them
its re,enues. They regulated what was to be given for
the support of the SisterR and they transfe1Ted to the
Hospital most of the movables. The public murmured,
not without reason, at the sight of these gentlemen, escorted
by a great nmnhe1 of soldiers, taking ~rn.. ay from the Ronse
all that they eonlcl, as if it had been clelivered up to be
pillaged.
In the month of December, )lother )Iargmet Gibalin and
::\fother of the Presentation Robert received 01tle1s to leave
Pmis. On aeconnt of the seyerity of the weather and the
preemiou~ health of ~Iuther 3Iarga1et, pe1mi~sion wa:--:

G1G
ohtaiued~

L'E OF JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\iATEL

afte1 mauy objections, foi them to await the comjng of spring. .A.las, they we1e to be witnesses of the s01rowfnl 1m~sion of ~Iay 3, 1672, the day on which the religions
of the lntarnate \V 01d were brutally and pitilessly expelled from thei r monastery by governrneut agents who
ill-treated ~meral of them.
Om peu refuses to describe these desolatiug scenes.
Crowded iuto seve1ul car1iages, escorted by fiercelooking soldie1s, the unfortnnate victims of an nnjust ial
passed tlnough the most popnlons quarters of Paris. 'fhe
mn1titude stared at thern in tmiosity m1d amazement, and
made 1e1muks m01e 01 less lrnmiliating. 'rl1e Sisters heard
one 01 another saying that they were beiug takeu to the
11.,01t of the Archbishopric, to the Chfttelet, to the House
of Hefnge. ~rhis sorrow-fn l way of the C1oss led to the
plaee destined for them, "a totte1ing hovel mo1e like a
stable than a dwe1linp; for lrnman beings." l t was nem
the Hospital and belouged to it.
A Il the Siste1~ showed he1oic firmness and iesignatiou.
'fhe intrepid l\Iother de Bly protested wif all he1 energy
in the Hame of justice violated by the lrnspeakable measmes of which she and ber companions we the victims.
'J'his valiant daughter of ~Iothe1 de l\Iatel struggled for yem~
t o allay the irremediable eYil that smote the couvent of
P aris on tliat <lny. But she imitated her venerable 1\1othe1
aiHl <"Onrageonsly accepted the decisive ordeal and, afte1
depicting h1 glo01i'1y colon; the lameHtable scenes of thei1
exo<lns, she exclaims :
" 0 my God, Yon h;wc per111itte<1 tliat all kiuf; of di~
g r1 ('eR shon1<1 ov(1whelrn 11~. mHl that uo <me shonld gi,c
01 offer m1y ai<l Rnrtkie1it- to p1eye11t nR frorn falling i11to
tli e harnlN of thof;e to whorn we \\'ere delive1c<l hy the
] 1i01 wl1orn Yon lrncl f;eledcd t-o be the execntiouer of
Yom j11 ~ t n11g-Pt11<e 11pon m;:. 'Ve m<> ~mlrn1if;~ive to Yonr
01"<k 1N lll<l :1<101t the111 with p1of01111<l i<_~peet- :rn<l con l'e~R th tt it iR jm.;t 1'01 Yon th11~ io lrnrnili:tie m~.
Grmit
ll ~ 1lt c g' ]'(l t e fo ~llffe1, ll j}J<_> l1'1lt' Npi1it of ]lC1lH1H~ e , ll]
t lt e t li i11 g:-; ~ o l1anl for 111dme, whid1 it hm~ pleased Yon

A.FTER THE DEA.TH OF ~IOTHER DE ~l..TEL

Gl 7

to seud us and which You purpose to send us still to

ine1ease om humiliation. Dra w from them Yom glory
and our 1Je1fect sanctification. Amen.
~-\._ fe"~ pages further on she adds : \\"" e are so far from
complaining of such treatment considerecl unjust eYen by
the coarsest indiYiduals. that. on the contrar,-'. we haYe
good reason~ to h mu ble oursel ,-es in the presence of Gocl.
and to ac101e in the secrecy of our hemts the profound
judgments of Didne Justice,. since we hm-e so man,-' ieasons that condnce us that this is our p1incipal prosecutor
and tha t. a~ the Di Yi ne .J u~tice is our ]JOrtion, it was \ain
to seek to flee from it~ " -1ath. and it \Yas impossible for
us not to feel. soone1 01 Inter. its effects of whieh. beyond
all clonbt_. our saintly Foundress had been warned by
Hewren. Beeause. six or se,-en yea1s befo1e om disgrace.
she had positive!,,- affirmed that ,,-e "-ould be ruined and
from this p1e,isio11 she "-as ~o JKtinec1 tha t ou r Sisters
and myself, who were nem her. often heard her say, as
she gazecl on -her crucifix which ~he e\er held in ber hands:
"Lord, do not allo"- me to see this mh,fo1nme: But she
mnediately added: "HmYever. Yom holy "~in be done '.
T adore Your eternal designs u pou myself and upon all
the Horn;;:es of Your Ortler and upon all creatures.~~
Like our :Jlother Foundre~s and her heroic daughter.
_jlother cle Bly. we shall . not search elsewhere foi the
cause of all these misfortunes. :Jien 'Ye1e but the inst1uments of the DiYine ~Justice and its decree. which is eYer
adorable in spite of the seeming se\erity of the crucifixion
i t clemancled.
Sorne weeks after the eYents whieh we haYe just ielated.
the :Jiothers of ..:~Tignon recefred orders to return to their
e01rvent. This separation was don bly painful at this cri tic a 1 moment. It cost them mu ch to le<ffe their Sisters of
Pmis. muid snch clifficulties and afflictions. Foi :Jlother
de Bly and her companions. the cleparture of :Jlother
:Jlargaret "~as one of the most painful possible trials. The.Y
lo\ed to laYish on her e'Tery mark of e~teem and Yene1ation: as taking the viace of their holy. deceased J-Iother.

618
Bnt in theii disinterested affeetion, although they we1e
saddened b,'' he1 depal'tme, they were Jess distressed when
they comdde1ed thnt the venerable :\Iothe1 was thus escaping from the priYati011s, vexation~, and sufferings of every
kind whid1 wns their own ]JOrtion and which they felt
mnst theneeforwmd be thefr daily bread. Therefore, "Jlother
~Imgaret and :?\f other of the Presentation left Paris, on
J mie 11, 1G72.
'Ye shall uot dese1ibe the efforts made by l\lother de
Bly and the friends of the monastery to appeal from
the unjust sentence, or what was doue to mitigate the rigor
of the omwession from which the 8isters were suffe1ing.
\Yhile they were s1rnt np in thefr insufficient abode, from
whid1 there wf;; Pven made an attempt to evict them by
a trick, they still lrn<l with thern nnns of varions su1)pressed Honses. Jfother de B1y met nrnny difficulties
in frying to have religions observance kept in this Ronse
as in a monasteiy. In vain did ~he urge that the name
of the r nearnate 'Yord wonld be given to the House. Supe1io1s wonld not com.;ent to this. After many petitions
whieh evoked as rnnny refnsals, finally on )[ard1 2, 1G78,
the fol1owing inscl" ptiou was ])lneed above the onte1 door:
--~ronast e 1y of the Augnstinian Heligions of the ~Iothe1
of God. '' After relating this, Mother de Bly exclaims:
'"JI e~weu <lid 11ot 1)e1mit any cousideration for us, becam.;e
it had l>een decreed in the coundl of the Divine ~Justice
that even the angn:;.;t title which the Incmnate \Yord had
giveu u:;.;, shonld be takeH away frorn ns :-;o that om annihilntio11 might he the more <ornplete aml onr lrnmiliatiou
the greatcr.m
11\f oth e r d e B l y s ays : "Ev e n b e for e th e religions of th e Incarn a t e \Vord hac1 l>e e n thrown out of th e ir rnonastery , th e persecution
of th e m ha<l conw to h e k nown. 11 o t only in P<1 ris. l>u t in places more
than a hurnlr e d l e ag-u e s distant, anl1 r e ached th e e:irs nf Madame de
F' o urvill e, A bb cs s of th e Ahl>ey of B e rnardines of Our Lady of Pant h e rnon t, w h o for n t l c a s t tw e lv e y e ars h:id l>e e n looking- for an app or t uni t y t o l e a. ve D e n uv:iis a nd e sta hlish h e r .A l>b ey in the cnpi ta 1.
no m 'J'i x i e r ha<l n o t s u ccee cl e d in c hang-ing onr Conv e nt into a Priory
o f S t. He n c cli c t with 1\fadam e L e n e t as Al>b e ss. arnl wishecl to convert
it int o ~ 111 A l>h ey o f St. n e r11arcl and wns th e fi1st to s e n<l word to
t h e 1\ hh ess o f Pn n th c m ont to c omc <1 ncl ta ke ;1 d v a n tagc of th e apport 11nit y w hi c ll l!acl b ee n c 1cat e d b y llims e lf anc1 was wllolly suitcd
t o h e r vl an."

..:\FTER THE DL\TH OF )ITHER DE )IATEL

619

Throngh the mecliation of the P1ior. the monaster:T of

the Inemna te \Yol'cl was the1efol'e eedecl to )la dame de
FonrYille for a trifiing -price. She ~ecmed possession eYen
before the dep<uture of our Sisters, nnd in~ta1lec1 he1self
~and her comm1111ity in it soon after onr expulsion.
After'~nnds impo1tant thanges were macle in the buildings of
the monastery. The chape] was rebuilt. I t was necessary
to remoYe the bodie~ buried in the old mie. The body
of )fother cle ~ratel was placed in the T"ault destined for
the bnrial of the .:\bhe~se~ in the new church. This precions
deposit remained there until 1770, when it was gi\en up,
after many objections, by the religions of the Abbey of
Panthemont to the mona:-:te1y of the Incmnate \Yord of
A Yignon. The Abbey of onr Lady of Panthemont continued
to exist UI) tu the time of the great French He\olutinn.
Years vassed b~T withont bringing anything but cli~ap
pointments ancl causes of sndness to the reUgious of the
Incarna te
orcl. )fotber de Bly and the other surYY01s
of the mo1iasteI"y of Paris, nfter seeing the failme of all
their efforts t~o obtain justice, finally left the Ronse of the
)lother of God and -wen t a ''ay to bu1y thel' ~OITff\YS in
the peacefnl and flourishing monastery of I.yons. )lother
de Bl~ after haYing struggled T"aliantly up to the end
and after defencling with her indefatigable pen the rights
'dlich she had not be~n able to safeguard otherwise. clied
six years later~ at Lyons~ on April 23, 1706, aged 73 years.
One of the fi1st historians of )lother de )fatel says:
"Thus ended tbe Ronse of the Incarnate 'Yord of Paris,
as the Fom1dre:-:s had foretold on many occasions when
speaking of that monastery \Yhich hncl been a cause of her
dearest hope~ and of her greatest troubles: a scene of the
greatest injustices ancl most heroic nrtues: a rnemornble
exnmple that when God does not builcl. all othe1s labor in

'T

Yain.~~ 1

Before \Ye close this cha pter. we note how ProYidence,

"Then perrnitting the saints to be persecuted. rese1Tes to
itself the punishments of their perseeutors. 'Ye ha\e
lLife of ::\Iother de ::\Iatel by a Father of the Society of Jesus.
published in 17 43.

S icle v iew o f th e ac tu a l buildings of th e f o rm er M o n as t ery o f th e

I n carna t e YVord a t L yo n s.

t"'

t:;l

>

.......

t=.:l

t::i

Cl

>
~

t:;l

(')

zt:;l

i---

t=.:l

:....

t=1

.......
'=:l

l~

Cl

.AFTER THE DE ~\TH OF ~lOTHER DE ~IATEL

621

proofs that all who conibntecl to the injustices of which

)lother de :~\latel and her monastery "e1e the Yictims, were
soone1 or later signally afflicted.
The nefarions clecree of the Parliament had ~carcely
been rendered when unexveded misfortunes came npon the
first President. In a few clays he lost a great part of his
fo1tnne, and seYeral members of his family were snddenly
earried away by death.
Ris son-in-law, who was Procnrator General. saw himself frnstrated in the pursnit of rights which he thonght
he had to a eonsiderable snm, and lost, at the same time,
bis father, his wife, and his son.
:Jlr. Hebert and t\yo other conncilmen, who had
espoused the Yie"s of the first President, in t he famons
trial, diecl sudenly a short \Yhile after\Yards.
It was pnbJicly saicl in Paris that from Heaven ":Jlother
de :Jf atel obtained justice against those who had committed
so many injustices."
The ecclesiastic who had seconded the Pri01 of SaintGermain in his plots against the rnonastery of the Incarna te \\. . ord, was bitten by a rnad dog and stabbed to death;
the author of the crime cou1cl neYer be discoYered.
The Pri01 was not sparecl. He soon became discredited,
eYen in the . eyes of the Archbishop of Paris. E\en th ose
who had been seduced and misled by him, finally despised
and shunned him. He was forced to leaYe the Abbey of
Saint-Germain and \vent far away from Paris, to finish
in sadness a life disgraced by so many injustices, \vhlle
he was awaiting his acconnting at t he Tribunal of the
8oYereign .Judge.
For the last time, let us hem :Jlother de Bly's O\Yn
wo1cls relating the deplo1able end of :Jladame Lenet.
"That lad~ came to make a call at our Ronse of the
)[other of Gocl. in order to see if she could get a foothold
and try to dispute with the :Jlother Superioress her position, which she wishecl to take. But this \Yas in vain ,
so that she had reconrse to :JI a dame de Courcy, Prioress
of "Jionsson, near the frontier of Champagne, and bar-

LIF.8 OF .JEANNE CHEZARD DE l\lATEL

gainecl with her on tondition thnt she vrnuld pay a pension.

1'he firNt thi11g she did after tnking possession of the
Primy whieh was m1der the 1nle of St. Bene(1ict, was to
1n opo~e to the re1igionN to relem'e he1 from the payment
of the perndon whieh sl1<_~ htd J>I'ornised them. 'rhen she
made them tome to Pa1i~ nnd lodged them in a rented
ho11se, in the s11lrn1b of 8nint-Ge1rnain, where they had
to snffer great prfrations. 'rhey demanded the return of
~'ladame de Courcy. 'rhe latte1 insisted on l\fadame Lenet
paying the pension and on her own return into ber benefice.
She obtainecl these things. :\Iadmne Lenet was forced to
leave. A few yems afterwnrds, she died poor and abandoned
hy all, deyoured hy a disense which made her body fnll
to viece~ hy pal'ts, in the midNt of the honms of the
\lecomposHion of the tom b.''
Let us turn onr eyes myay from these sad spedacles
and, while "~e adore Divine Jnstice even in its 1igors, let
ns fix 0111 eyes ngain on the saintly soul whkh 'Ye have
heen Ntndying. Yf" e must not be astonishecl at the extraorclirn1l'y ials whteh were the crowning of a life mal'ld by
so mnny snpe111atma] favors and adorned with sneh heroic
Yil'tnes. 'l'o the eyes of some, this st1nnge mixture seemed
a contradiction in terrns. 'r'hey were mistnkeu.
'l'hey
would be right, if the~c 1)e1f-'ecntions and trials had not
been necessnry foi briH;ing the sanctity of l\fother de
~Intel into bold 1elief.
Her speciaJ grace and the characte1i~tic of her sandity "'e1e thns proYed to be the consel'1ation of he1 whole life up to its end~ to the rep1oclnctio11 in he1~elf of her diYine, <_1ucified Love.
:Xo featme of the adonlhle rnodel was impe1fert 01 incornplete i11 this ~0111, dmiHg ltc1 cm1hly pilgrirnage. Roweve1, is it p1eN11111pt i011 to hope fat Gocl will add, on some
d:ty whi<'h we p1ay 11rny he nem, the last tonclt to thnt
1ep1odneti011 ill ~Jot-he1 . de )Intel, of ~Jef-'us, the IHcarnate
\V01d , hy the glmification of Hi~ handmnid '! Ilaving
hn<l, 1ike .Je~rn~, h<1 N01Towf11l pas~i011, like Him ah;:o, she
wonld tllll~ hH\' t' he1 1i1rnl iTiurnph, hy the honm given
h<1 hy lloly Chml'h, i11 viatillg hc1 011 the altnrs.

.U'TEH THE DE.\.'l'H OF ~\IOTHER DE ~L\TEL

623

W'11ile awaiting this glorious hom, for which the

daughters of )Jother de )fatel aie praying with all theil'
heart, the Yenerated remains of their holy Foundre~s are
resting in a monastery which she established and which
is still standing, in spite of the storm that scattered to
. the four winds so many 1eligious of France, a few years
ago. )Jay .these p1ecious l'elics eontinue their holy and
protecting influence from this p1ivileged slnine which shelters them h1 Ion~ and veneration.

DOCUMENTS
-APetition of the Duchess de la Hocheguyon to which reference is made in Cha]Jter X.
)lost HoJ:y Fathe1:
Cathe1ine de Jlatignon, widow of the illustrions L01d
I )uke de Ja Rocheguyon, most humbly represents that for a
Jong time she has had a great desil'e to found at P_aris a
)f onastety of Siste1s who continuously se1Te God, and to endow it adeqnately from he1 own reYenues, for the sake of the
glo1y of God and the saJyation of he1 own soul. But she bas
l'.onside1ed with g1eat pain and indignation tllat the moRt
augnst sac1ame1it of the Encharist bas been treated with
great ineye1e11ce by he1eties in F1ance and many other
places, that 1t bas been 1nofaned with great imJJiety and bas
ieceived atrocions and abominable insults, and that she bas
thanged ber general and indefinite phrn illto one of founding
a l\lon_aster:r of Sisters in honor of Our Lord J esus Christ residing in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. She considers
that it would be praiseworthy and useful if the ptincipal
point of Catholic worship and the most holy of alJ the mysteries, we1e praised and adored by holy Yi1gins perpetually
watching befoi-e the 'rabenrncJe of the Lord at the sarne tirne
that it is so wiekedly profaned by the fnry of heretiN.
Rhe has often spokcn of and explained thi~ plan and her
gieat desire to rcnl ize it. to 1>e1Nonages ienowned for their
Jemning and piety and fo1 their cxpe1ien<'e in rnaHe1s of re1igions discipline. 'rhese have not only ap1noycd and praised
this g1eat desiie Of hers, but also haYe sfrongly cxhortc<l hCl'
t o m1<1e1take and nccomplish it with 1nomptness. I aske<l,
ilien, whe1e could we find R;te1s who wonld trnin the yom1g
women who would becornc novices aud wlto wonld iec_:eiYe
li21

DOCU:~IENTS

625

their 'T'Ys of profession, and they hmTe replied that they did
11ot know of nny Sisters serYing God in that manner, or, at
least, that they did not kno\Y any such Sisters in F1ance.
'l'his ieply cansed me great pain and mnde me impatient,
that seeing tlwt muid sneh a Yariety of ~isters there was not
au Orde1 anayed 1111de1 the standard of the Blessed Sacrameu t. This eonditiou greatly intlamed my desire for the
founding of such an Order.
Jiost Boly Father, while I was treating with pions personages about the means of accomplishing my purpose, it
happened that T made the atquaintance of a young lady
named Jeanne de )Intel, who had corne on business from
Lyons to Paris where her father was residing. Our acquaintanre haYing become intimate, in the beginning I admired her
modesty and piety and he1 gift of speech al>out things dfrine.
:A.Jte1wards I made diligent inquiries about her spiritual exercises and he1 manner of life, and found not only that she
had the same desire as mine, but also that she had aheady
instituted a Congregation of Sisters at Lyons and at Roanne
in the diotese of Lyons, haYing ns the ehief object of their
deyotion to serYe and honor ~J esus Christ in the l\fost Blessed
~nerament of the Altar. I serionsly considered that she had
been brought to me by God 's ProYidence, after I had reflected on my own purpose and bers. I asked the said l\fiss
.Jeanne de l\latel by what persons she was known in this city.
She nap_1ed seYeral personnge~ who are renowned for learning, piety and prudence. I went to see them to ask their testimony and opinion abont her piety whid1 to me seemed
admirable. 1 had i10t beeu mistaken in my jndgment, for I
learned that she had made a YOW of yiiginity at the age of
twelYe, and that, in that same year, a most religions personage who was a lnmdred leagues away, had written and recommended that she should be permitted to receiYe Roly
Communion, and that since that time she had receiYed it a1most every day, after an examination by learned men and an
order from he1 confessors, and that she had the practice of
confes~ing nearly eYery day _; that she had been highly esteemed by Father Cotton, of the Society of Jesus; thnt

2G

DOCU::\IEXTS

althongh hc wns regaided as the 01acle of Frau and was

eonsnlted lJy all theologinns on difficnlt questions, yet shc
had often been consnlted lly him, ~nch beinp; his el'teem for
ihc spirit of graee dwclling in her. rrhcsc fads arc evidenced lly h is lettc1s to her, which contaiu 1mmy other testimon ials rnost hon01a ble to the sa id yonng lady, mo1eove1,
that withont even having stndied the Latin hrngnagc or having been tanght it, she nnderstood it snfficiently to inteipret
the Sacred Books; finally, that God often favored her with
His extraordirnuy didne visits and eommnnications, which
several learned and ieligions men have approved, after hnving examined them diligently, and they h:we acknowledged
that the power of the finge1 of God was there most manifestly.
)foreover, as I lrnve learned, that most revered Prelate,
Uhal'les l\fyron, Ard1bishop of Lyons and Primate of the
f-hrnls, \Yell known in this realm for his great deeds and for
Yom Holinm' esteem and honor of him, immediately after
arriYing in bis diocese, on aeeount of the reno\vn of that
yonng \voman, summoned the Reetor and the Prefect of the
Collegc of the ~Tesnits of Roanne, twelve leagnes distant from
Lyons, one of whom had been her confessor for many years,
and obtained from them information about the trnth concerning her morals, life, and SJ)ritnal exercises, and many
other things which he had heard of, as considered by several
g1ave men to be miraculonl'. rrhis wise and keen-:;;.;ighted
Prelate wished also to inteITogate her himself \Yhch he did.
:Not contented with all this, he commissioned to examine
her, Father John ~lorin of the Oratory, who \Yas his constant companion and in wliom he had great eonfidence. 'rhe
snccess of this examination was so signal that this pyeat
Archbishop ported to the conncil which he had in~titnt~d
to aid hirn in g0Ye1ni11g his dioce~e, what he had learned fm
hirnself', and, with the l11rn11imo11N app1onll of that cmmcil, hc
pe1111itted t11e Naid .Jeanne de 1\f<ltel, hy ex1)licit and anthentic lettc1s, to HNtiinte hoth in Lyons and in Romme, a Uongn ~gni i011 or wo111e11 se1ving God, and to luwe a p1iest to eelelmtt-P ~lass pnblicly eve1y day in thcii chnrch, to hcar thcir
<onfession~, to giYe them Holy Communion of the Body of

DOCUMENTS

G27

J esus Christ. He purposed to go farther, if God prolonged

bis days, and to supplicate Your Holiness, as I have learned
from those to whom he commlmicated this affair, to authorize him by a Bull, to gfre the sacred veil of religion to the
said .Jeanne de Matel and to some of hel' eom1Jm1ions. Since
that time, this Congregation of women has greatly flourished at Lyons and i8 still flourishing there amid the
applanse and congratulations of the whole city. Now this
service and devotion io the Blessed Sncrament beal' snch
great fruit and gYe such edification to holy souls, that, althongh this is only a simple Congregation of women, yet
they have lately been permitted publicly . to expose the
Blessed Racra ment du ring the day of the feast of Corpus
Christi and dul'ing its ocfave. I liave snbjoined to this request the written and signed testimonies of the learned and
pions men, from whom I hm'e l'eceived all that I have exposed to Your Holiness, so that Yonr Holiness ma;vImow the
authorities on which I base my esteem for this lady.
Convinced by these testimonies, I belim'e that, as Jacob
said to Ids fnther, Isaae, it ""'as the will of God that what I
desired came to me so promptly and that this pions woman,
~Jeanne de :Ma tel, came to he known to me throngh a secret
disposition of Divine P1ovide11ee, so that I might finally accomplish what I had so long desired, namely, that devotion
to the Blessed Sacrament wonld be increased and that by
this small service T might eompernmte for the many great
insults offel'ed to the Bles~ed Sacrament by the heretics in
onr days.
This is why, Most Holy Father, I throw myself at the
feet of Your Holiness, to snp1)licate it most lrnmbly that it
may be pleased to grant by apostolic letter~, power and anthol'ity to the :M ost Hev. Arehhishop of P~nis, to his Vicar
Oeneral, or to some othe1 Bishop, to giYe the sacred veil of
1pligion to the said .J(}mme de Matel and io iive or six of her
<laughte1N who me pal'tieipant~ of he1 im1posc and have
lived in the t:omm1mity nuder lier gnidmwe 01 who shall join
he1, and to receive from thcm the vows of religion, by whieh
they will be truly made and rende1ed religions and shnll be

G28

DOCUl\lENTS

considered as such by all. Besides, nrny it please Your Holiness that they s~rnll observe the Rule of St. Augustine; that
they shall recite pul>licly eYery day in their church the Office
of the Blessed Snc1arnent. except on Saturdays when they
shall iecite the Office of the I mmaculate Conception of the
Blessed ~fothe1 of God, and that they shall always add to
their Office the comme11101ations of the fern;;ts and the Sundays, so that they may be perpetually devoted and lm,.ing towards Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament ~ that their conduct
shall be uuder the goyernment of the Ordinar.v of the place
in which their mo1iaste1y shall be fonnded and constructed,
which I promise to fonnd and endow snfficiently from my
1evenues that eight ~f.:ters may have the means to live and
be supported respectably. ",.herefore I pra:v Your Holiness
to grant me dnring my lifetirne all the rights, privileges,
and prerogatiYes whieh are granted to foundresses by the
eustom of the Clrnreh. I most humhly ~mpplicate Yom
Holiness to grant me th is g1aee according to the singnlar devotio wliich You hm,.e to the most L>i\,.ine Sacrament. Du1ing all rny life T will 1egard it as a great favor. Tt seems ap1wo1wiate foi the name of Urban, which signifies nrbanity
and lrnmaneness, to ad,,. anee the honor of the Blessed Sacrament throngh new institutions, so that, as the Church owes
the celebration of the feast of Corpus Chl'isti to Urban, the
fomth of that nmne, France may be indebted to Urban VIII
for the institution of a religions Order in honor of Jesns re~iding in the Roly Sacrnment of the Altar. As He selected a
" ,. oman of Liege name<l .Julimin, who wa~ of grent sanctity,
as l>romofress of that feast, it 8eems that likewise He ha~
1aiscd up .Jeanne de l\fatcl to aecomplish this pnrpose, and
that He has eonfer1cd upon her His hencdictions for this
end. Fin a lly, kissing the fect of Yom Hol in es~ and lrnm bly
heggi11g Yom hlc~:-iHg , l p1ay Gocl, with nll the carHe~tncR~
in 111.r powe1, to kcep Yom lloline~~ n long time on carth for
1he good or Ili~ CJrn1eh.

DOCG.;\IEN'TS

-B-THE MOST HUMBLE SUPPLICATION WHICH W AS PRESENTED IN BEHALF OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE
INCARNATE WORD, BY THE INHABITA.NTS OF THE
CITY
OF LYO:NS, TO
MONSIGNOR DE RICHELIEU,
CARDINAL AND ARCHBISHOP OF THAT CITY. IT WAS
l~EFFECTUAL AT THE TlME, AS THE HOUR HAD .NOT
YET COME. 1

Jl onseigneur:
Those 'vho know that your heart is the temple of mercy,
come, without fem, to pour out before you the desires and
prayers of daughters who a wait from your goodness the
establishment of a ieligious Order, under the name of the
Incarnate "\Yord. Since He is the source from which Your
Eminence de1ives the g1eat lights used in guiding His
Church, we haye iea~on tu hope that it will not refuse to
this X ame the hono1 which it borrows from its rays to
make divine the lustre of its purple. If the expectatiou
of a good is changed into S"'eetness when our desires me
nccomplished. it gives 110 less torture in the retarding
of onr longings. Even the p1ophets eonfe~s that their
successes in receiYing iwomises from H im w ho cannot lie~
sometimes wearied their hopes when these were defened,
and that the length of the time which was slow in coming,
often shook thefr l'Onfidence and even filled their month
with complaints into "'hich they bnrst fol'th while they
asked God if He were sleeping Dr if He had entirely lost
the memory of the oaths "'hich He had so often repeated.
It is no"' mm1y yean.: that the maiden who conceived
this design of the Holy Ghost hns heen i11 the travails of
childbiith. Assmedly i llis prolonged 11i<utyrdom will
tonch a hemt whieh ha~ neye1 heen snspecte<l of ht. ing
inaccessible to feelings of 1ty.
'J'he Prelate who go\'erned the Church of Lyons before
yon, )fonseignenr, permitted the petitiouel's to live in com1

1Ch. XI.

630

DOCUl\IENTS

mnnity nntil tirne shonld gfre him the means of completing

his w01k. But God took him away at the moment when
he was ready to use his influence in snch a praise,Yorthy
cause, and therefore who can donbt that He reserved this
iay of glory to give still g1eater lm~ti-e to your crown? If
it is not fitting to bonow anthmity from the dead to
find an example f01 one who gives nn exmnple to others,
certainly the forbenranre with which Yonr Eminence has
tolerated th~ Cong1egation np to the present, is compelling
evidencc that it bas never had any intention of condemning it.
N ow that the Holy Fathe1, nfter a discussion of many
ye:us, hns approved it in the mm.;t august assembly in
the world, ancl that he has honored it with his Bulls witbont the1e being any possibility of suspicion that he has
heen mi si nfo1med or ta ken by sm"JH'ise, con 1d we, wi th ont
heing cl'minnl, despair of its establishment, when the Committee addresses an Eminence which glmies in snbmitting
its will mid its judgment to the 01ncle which hns spoken '?
2\f onseigneur, from our inti ma te nequnin tau ec with your
piety, we know thnt it is never mo1e ng1eenhly orcnpied
thnn whell cmise<"rntin; virgins to the div-ne ser,?icc.
In this dcdicntioll of living temples, it cornde1s itself
rnme glmions thm1 Holomon was in e1ectin~ a mass of
~tones which pm.;sed for a miracle of an:hitectme.
It has
H satisfnctiou eqnnl to thnt of cleaviug the sen and opening
a way. like nnothe1 )Ioses, to so many po01 sonls 'dwm it
frees with a mighty hnn<l from the ~lavery of Egypt. Indeed it can he !'mid with hnth that ihe1c iN m01e glory in
;t<l01ning ihe ~p011NeN of the Lnmh '''ith the precions orna1llPllt of' grn<'P, thrn in <"l1i11g for ihe 1'CNt of the ttock
:1111m1g whieh the1p me NO rnm1y wi<ke<l NhePp.
Bnt :IN yonr ZPll N H'<"Olll})lJl<~<l by <liN<1dio11, it i~ 1\w
you t o jwl:e whPthe1 i he g1Pl t 1rn111 lw1 llHl i he llO\'eHy of
l:PligiollN ()1'(lPJ'N migld 11ot ()])(' <lny ('lllNC NOlllP ('01lf11~i011
in tl)( ( ,hmTh. 'l'heN<~ mp il)( t wo oh~lHleN whieh np to
ihe p1eN<11i have hirnle1ed ilte i11eli1wt-io11 of Yom E111i11e1H.:e f'1om ~at-isf'yiHg the H~p1'<lt011N of .)'Ol11' goo dangh -

DOCUMENTS

631

ters who petition you. ~Ionseig11eur, we beg leave to say.

regm(_ling the first i11q,ediment, that it is impossible to
make too many ladde1s for climbing up to Heave11, since,
in the new ('mrenant, we mnst earry it by assanlt and
violente. rr110se to whorn God lws entl'usted the cnie of
His vine, emmot give too mm1y props to the weakness
of the bnmehes loaded with leaves and clusters, othcrwise
the rnost flourishing and fruitful branches w011ld often
trail on the g1ound foi laek of a snfficient nmnber of
supports.
'l1l10se who blame the greatness of the number of the
soldiers in the armies of the Clrnrch, seem from this to
be jealous of her Yictmics. The 'Yise )fan was of the contrary opinion when he compmed that invincible amazon
to an mmy in battle anay drawn up in files and squadrons.
It is only enYy that enn gaze with regret at the beantiful
variegated garmeut of ~T oseph. It wonld haye been more
gracions to complain that the ambitions exceed in number those who renoun(_'e their liberty under the law's of
religions obedienee. The world has been deluged with
so mneh iniqnity that ehaste doves cannot nmv find a
clod of earth unsmemed with filth, and the universal corruption forces them to fty back into the Ark. It would
be more proper to cry out against the corrnption of
the world and the inord inate affections which keep the
majority of mankind nttached to perislrnble vm1ities and
riches~ than to murmur against those who, by the religions
vows aim nt hreaking the gilded chains of their enslavement.
It is easy to be convinced and we ought to believe,
ihat the wise Archited who made the twelve large gates
in the heavenly J erusalem intended that it should be
entc1ed from varions roads. 'Vho is ignorant that from
the eircumference of a eircle to the indivisible point . in
in its centre there eau be drawn an infinite uumber of
~trnight lines whieh do not cnt one another "?
'J1his means
that God is the centre in 'Yhieh all men must some dfly
meet in perfect nnity, and that it should not be considered

DOCUMENTS

strange if the wnys of arriving there be cliffercnt. The

maguifie~nee of the barn1uet prepared h,v Tnc:wnate 1N:.;<lom jn the Chmch eo11sistR not 011ly in the preeionR vesRc1s
set i11 0)'(1e1 on the tah1es, hnt 1athe1 i11 the viauds snHed
to ~liffcrent tastes.
Tt has bren said that therc i~ 11othiHg m01e IJlensing
than the smfnee of a mirror, beeam~e it presents an image
which acts as yon please. It approacheR you when you
npproach. It ietires when yon rctfre. It looks sweetly
on yon when yon laugh, and retiectR your tears when yon
weep. As the Incarnate 'Y01d is ealled a rnirror by the
A1JOstJe of the Gentiles, "~e mu~t helievc that He does
not lack this attrjbute whfrh is esspntial to cvery mirror.
As He is the objcet of the eternal complnee11cy of the Father.
donbtless every e1enture f.lees its own imnge re1noduced
in Him. He contaius the icleals of all the Orders which
He giYes to the Chul'(h, ideals whieh can be 1ightly called
images by com1,lacency, since they laugh with those who
Jaugh, and weep with those who weep. no you take pleasme in austeritieR? 'rl1e W'" ord presents to you the form
of nn Order who~e Jaws oblige to a silence which is ahnost
eon tinnorn~. Do yon~ l<we the desert and its solitude? Here
is m1 (frde1 whieh keeps far from all communications with_
the world. l>o yon think i hat the sweet melody of hymns
and ('nntieles charrn awny wearinesR "? Here is an Order
in which the gl'enter part of 1ife iR occnpied by psalmody.
Are the trouble nncl ha~te of ~fortha diRtnRtefnl, berarn;:e
they absorb yonr th011ght~ in miniRt~r1g to otherR and
hil](lm yon from aspi1ing to i he one thin~ necessmy of
::\f niy '? He1'e i R an 01der devoted to eon tem pln tion.
'Vhe1'e i~ no one who cmrnot tind muid the nuiety of
Onk1s one ~uited to Ids ow11 atfradiou~ 01 his O\YH charn<"i P1< 'Plie Divine Go0<l11e~~ lC('OJlllllodate:-; itRelf to hnman
weakneRseR, with snd1 lovillg <'OJHlPNcen~ion, tlrnt "'e be~
Iieve it wo11h1 c1eate a Bew 01'de1 if it ~aw only one per~oll so siu:nlm f11- he hn<l 110 nttl'ndi011 to any one of
tlH~ 01<lp1~ that JlOW Pxist.

DOCU::\IENTS

G33

Prelates haYe a duty to imita te St. John the Baptist

in lowering the mountains and filling up the yalleys. That
is to say, they aie obliged to make roads and rem"ve obstacleR \Yhich impecle or retal'Cl the race of ehaste sponses
towards theil' Divine Spouse, since, when H e goes in search
of His sponse, He honncls like the fawn of a hind over
the tops of the mountaius and hills, and is not deterred
by precipices or crags that seem to dispute His passage.
Incleecl Re can eorne to us without difficulty, but we cannot go to Rim withont eff01-t. And who will not here
admire the excess of His loye ? He knows how tender~
or rather hO\Y clelicate, are the feet of His be1oYed, so
that He prefers to depriYe Himself of the satisfaction of
seeing her rather than ha ,-e her wouncl herself. eyen by
wa1ldng the length of he1 ehamber, to open the cloor to
Him. \Yhen He makes he1 run for the pleasure and rapture of gazing at her steps, He is not content with making ber leap oyer the tops of mountains or with :filling
abysses, but, in a tra_nsport of loYe, He makes Rimself
the road and He says. I am the \Yay. )loreoYer. Re is
the tlo\Yer of the field and the lily of the Yale. And how
happy is the sponse to walk on these flmyers ! Her happiness does not end there. for her impassioned Lffver perfumes with balm His path. in order to attract her more
easil~-, by this sweet fragranee. to follmv Him.
\Yhat a beautifnl examp1e for Frelates to make easy
the ways of chaste loyers, \Yho are dying with impatience
to cast themselves into the mms of their Dfrine Sponse.
These difficulties, on one sicle, may appear to be m ountains and, on the other, may seem to be abysses. But they
shonld not astonish ns. One small grain of faith , a little
confidence in the Dfrine Goodness~ will cause them to
,-anjsh. He feecls the Yipe1s in their holes in the earth.
HmY ean Re fail His danghte1s who have in their hearts
only flames of loYe for HiR beanty, and on their lips only
canticles of His praises '?
)lonseigneur, perhap~ it is noYelty that shocks your
mind. There are reasons for looking at novelties with

G34

DOCUMENTS

Ruspieion. IlmYever, may it please Your Eminence to

conRidel' that the smne objections onee npplied to all the
Ordc1s whith afterwnrds brought to the wol"ld grcn t utility
nnd rulv antages~ and that similar lrnrge~ conltl have been
made cyen ngainst the infant Church when it was in its
c1adle. ~rhus no,elty alone should uot make a bad impression upon the mind. Eve1ything seeming to be the
most firm and constant is the victim of time. ln the
nnfrerse, there is nothing that is immune from the inconYcniences of old age. )lonasteries which "ere most fiourishing in their infancy, haYe relaxed their diseipline in
t he course of years, and have been carried away by the
stream of centnries, which is like a torrent ~'veeping all
before it. As nature preserves itself by the production
of individuals which tnke the places of those that perish,
so the Roly Spfrit causes new Orders to sncceed those
whose lustre has been tarnished by tne.
As we knoYr. the Chu l'eh founded b.'r the Eternal God, is
everlasting, and the stars hy the rapidity of their motions
hm'e cairied a way other monarchies, and yet have been so
far from shaking her foundations that they luwe even made
them firmel'. Monseigneur, this does not pI'event special
eommunities, which are only small pal'ts of the great whole
from being corruptible. Sin('e the Church if-1 a vine, for
its conse1vation it doubtle~s l1eeds to be pnrned, and if
new J>l ants are not su hstitnted for the old f-ltoeks, fecundity
will soon langnish. rrhe Clrnrch is a ship whose cables
rot in the wayes. 8hould they not from timc to time be
replaced by new <mes'! Rhe i~ mi army and to main tain
it, 11ew iec111its are always nceded to l'eplace the old vete1anf.' whom yems and sean; han~ ie1Hle1ed mifit for battle.
As it ~eems to us, mi 01der onght not to be rejeeted
mel'cly on nccount of its llOYelty, alld its pel'f'edion should
not he jndged hy the 11111Hber of it~ ycnl'~, hnt by the exeellerne of its 1'111< 1 ~ arnl hy the 1llCH1l~ whidt it ~npplics
fol' the rn01e pe1l'ed imit:ltio11 of the rnodel tltat was 8hOWll
1o men 011 thP l\frnrnL 'l'he oldest l'den; me not alway:;.;
the he~i if tltey have ll :t<lnrntagc beS<leR iheir age. rrhose

DOCUUENTS

635

shonld be consicle1ed more excellent which fnrnish ns the

more lively colors and the mol'e clelicate brush to form
rn our souls the more vivid image of the perfection of
,fesns.
In the Seri ptures, younger brothers often su pplant the firstborn and, although the latter may have as
their portion the fat of the land, the former iirny possess
the dew, and, while receiving evel'y day the choicest blessings of Heaven, have no occasion for feeling pained or
jealous.
Rome who came last, are not the least "~orth~7 God
commenced the creation of the world by chaos, and the
1ast of His works was the best. After creating man, He
rested, as if, after the last of His creations, He could give
nothing to the world that was more perfect. ~fan, after
being concefred, is bnt an em bryo. In his infancy, he lias
only the functions of vegetable and sensitive life, as his
portion. His intellect becomes sfronger and more perfect
with his growth. It is even said that when h e reasons
on a given subject, his last thonghts are better than the
fst. 'rhe first rays of the snn are so feeh1e that they
emmot pieree the vapors on the horizon . It is only gradually that it rises to the zenith, and when it is there its
hat pierces rocks and penetrates the foundations of the
highest mountains where it produces the metals. Sean
the nniverse and you wl11 see tlrnt the fst works of nature
al'e mlly essays. 'Phe ftowel's of spl'ing cannot be compared
with the fruits of antnmn. The end of the year is much
l'iche1 than the beginning which has only fro~t 1nd ice.
'rhe method followed hy Ood in the 01der of grace, is
not different. Tt is on1y at the end of the banquet that
He brings forth the best w1e. 'rhe 1aw of nature was
the first to be 1nomnlgated autl, yt~t, it wns fal' from
C'qnalling- the mnjesty of the ce1emonies whieh ~roses ]eft
to tl1e Pathe1s of the Old Te~tament. 'J'ltese ceremonies
in tm11, wel'e on ly shadows nu<l figmes of "'ha t we po:-;se~s in a 1aw which is new in compnrison with the two
1a ws tJrnt p1eceded it. In its origin it was like a tiny

636

DOCU-:.\IEXTS

mustard seed, and yet in its development it is a great

tree which gives sha<le to the whole earth. From these
points we conclude that mere novelty is not a good rea~on to strangle an Order in its cradle, since, according
to the Apost1e, the Rpirit of the Lord transfo1ms the
Church from brightuess to brightness, until ~he becomes.
as it were, overwhelmed in the light of glory which receives no new growth.
Thence from the way in which the Scriptures speak
of the workings of the Roly Rpirit, it is easy to see that
newness is the object of His complacencies. Although
we lmow no beanty eqnal to that of the sky, yet, because
it is a long thne that it has been making the same revolutions, He promises, through Isaias, to make a new sky.
He is careful to pour Ris new wine only into new vessels.
He thinks of the earth only to give it a face that is entirely
new. 'Vhen He broods over the waters, it is to animate them
\Yith life that is new. He vivifies it with His breath. He
commands that Ris altars be covered with the first fruits
w11ich are new. Wood which is rotten and wo1m-eaten is not
proper for sacrifices. 'Vhen the Ark of the Covenant was
bronght back from its capture by the Philistines, He commanded tlrnt its triumphal car should be new. Nowhere in
sacred history do we read that the Ark was borne throngh
the fields, on a chariot that was worn out by old age. He
is Hot pleased with songs that are old. David knew how
to charm the ear of the Almighty, and he commends nothing- more highly than a cantiele whieh is ne\Y. St. Paul
cxh01ts us to put off the old man and to put on the new,
in new11m of spirit. In fine, if, with the Fathe1s, we compare Heligions Orders to sepulchres, aspirallts should
1athc1 follow the exmuple of Om Lo11 and chom~c new
:-;cpnl<'hrPs in wh <'h to be lrnried.
M011seig-llem, it .\ not p11011gh to have dissipatP<l the
thick clornls, whi<-h ofiPn gin) 11mhrng-e to spi1itR who are
J':<i:tlon~ fm ail ilwi peitaim~ to fp g-101.v of God.
Tt is
nece~sa1'.y a]so to 8how the advm1tng-e8 whith yonr <lio~e
<..:mi 1eceive frow thi8 uew 01<1er. l 11 gcncral, we cnll say

DOCU ~IEX'IS

G87

tlrnt, h1 the second hnptism of their entry into the religions

life~ young vromen fulfill al1 justice and giYe to God the
honor of which He is robbed by the impious. They give
the angels a far more purified joy than that which they
feel at the conYe1sion of sinners. They gfre to mankind
an example of d1tnes " Tllieh arc considered impossible by
the world. 'They giYe to the demons reproach and shame
for their malice and "\Yckedness. They giYe to themselves
the tranquility of a lasting and undisturbed peace.
~fonseigneur, one would need to be most eloquent to
pieture adequatel~T to Yonr Eminence. the flight of their
souls np to the throne of DiYine :Jiajesty and their d\Yelling
in a recess of light inaccessible to the rest of mankind.
\Yith their pure hancls they are permitted to clraw aside
the cmtains of the ac101nhle coueh of the fecnnd divine
Essence. There, wi thout their eyes being dazzled, they
can continuously and steadfastly gaze at the brightness
and splendor of the generation of the w'" ord. TherP, they
feel themselYes warmed by the breath of love, which
emanates unceasingly from the recivrocal ardors of the
Father and the 8011, as from one principle. There, they
can snatch from the divine wrath the thunderbolt which
has been enkindled into lightning to reduce us to ashes.
There, they melt and pour themselYes blissfully into the
iYine immensity, as a drop in the ocean. Can we com1rn re these sublime occu }Ja tions wi th kneading mud in
EO'vpt '?
1Ionseigneur, the hearts of these poor daughters of the
Incarnate \Yord are already melting in adnmce from feelings of the gratitude they will haYe to your goodness. when
it will please Yom Eminence to be their :Jioscs, and to
change their onions and fteshpots for mamin. and the .
llllH1dy and b]oody wnte1s of the ~le~ foi th e limpid streams
ttowing from the iod\:.
'"rhe greater the m1mber of ieligions horn~es, the g1eater
the nmnber of palpable proofs of the ProYidence of God
the world.
b0'0Yernin
<:'.'
~.

DOCUMENTS

Doubtless as the pride of the impious is on the increase

and the nnmber of audacious worldling is mnltiplying
nlmost infinitely, it is most timely to double the guards
and to store up arrns with which to fight them. The argument is too far fetehed that insists npon our ascending to the ve1y heavens to seek solid proofs in order
to combat impiety. )Ioreover, the stars light the way of
vice as 'Yell as of virtne, and the sun warms the venom in
the bosom of the seipent as well as the healing sap in
herhs. -n~e need a reason which is not problematic and
cmmot be eontroverte<l. Incl'ease th en the nnmber of
1eligions honses, since their pove1ty, needing nothing, shows
more clear]y than any reasoning, that there exist infinite
'visdom and power which make those who have nothing,
possess all things.
l\fonseigneur, it is trne that yonr diocese d1mrs these
acl vantagcs from all the hou ses of vil'gins eonsecl'ated to
the service of Gocl. But note the serviees 'vhich these
yonng aspirants offer to render, if Yonr Eminence consents,
as they devote themselves, under yom guidance. to giving
yonng girls instruction which they conld not obtain from
others. \Ve do not deny that Siste1s who have already
nndertaken as their 'vork this minishy whid1 is so usefnl
to the public. acquH themselves of it very w01-thily, whether
because God hlessed their labors by Ris secret graces, or
heeause Yom Eminence snggests to them special methods
fm snccess, 01' because of both of the~e aicls together. rrhc
f111it which they prodnce is greater than the pains they
t<tke.
rrhis nnfol'med yonth and these little g1on1>s of
1a thc1 l'Ong1 1 pupfls com rnitted to tlteir <me :ll'e soon
~rn1oothed and poli~hecl. And 'vhe11 they (_'OJllP ont of these
~('hools, they are ns bcautifu l as ie111plPs, uot of the style
of tho8e of Egypt, whieh hehirnl :m nngnNt m1<l ~peeious
<x(p1i01 <011iai11P<l within 011lv i 1w11ke\~ mHl :;makcs 011
'
.
.
tl1e ait.ni~. llcn, on the eo11fr:uy. :tll 111< g1a('e :md hcauiy
diffu~ed

r1'0111
~ou 1i-:;.

i11ci1 lips, ho1Tow th<'J' ~p:uklin: h1illim1l'y

(lie \' i )' ( l l('~ w1t o~c ]'il,\'~ lnl\'(~ l we11 ('011 ede<l i 11 ihei l'
011

DOCU~IEXTS

639

)Jonsejgnenr. a11mY us to reeall that here the harvest

is too great for sneh a small nnrnber of laborers. The T"ine.'Tard is too yast and it " Ti11 neYer be properl~T deYeloped.
if servants arc not sent to the mmket place at C\Ter> honr
of the day to hire labore1s to corne into the T"ine.'Tard and
cultfrate it. The fishes caught are so abundant that the
nets me breaking. and the fishermen need to nnite their
hmks to draw them to the land.
God, \Yho perfectly unclerstands all characters. knmn~
that there is no better means of bringing the firstbo1n
back to a sense of duty. than to substitute the second son
as heir. This is the idea of the Apostle when he assures
us that the calling of the gentiles "~as decreed in eternity
and executed in time, to arouse farael to emulation. Thu s.
also. "Then the aneient Order s see that no ne"T ones arise.
they routent themselYes with lfres gliding on in T"irtue
that is langnicl, '"i t h no rivals to spur thern on. But. when
DiYine \\~isclom raises up an Order which outshines their
glory by competition in work similar to theil" own. then
a holy emulation a "Takens their do1mant courage and forces
them to retnrn to former Yigor. so as not to be snrpassed
by lte\Ycomers. Therefore the fonndation which we beg
is so far from cloing any harm to those "~hich Your Enlinence honor~ \Yith its affection, that it 'Yill make them
remain on guard and "-i1l oblige them. not only to run.
but also to fly on the way where others may outstrip
them and CalT.'T off the prize.
Finally~ Jionseignenr, behold all Lyons cast1g itself
at your feet and saying to Yom Eminence "Tith humble respect: )lost generous Father of our Cmm>. yon hm-e
p1aced me nnder the shielcl of yonr potection. >OU haYe
she1tered me from the shafts '"hieh the enemies of my
peace and giory haYe secretl.'T shot at me. Yon haYe caused
to be restored to rnc my p1frileges when T had been
stripped of them. and the neigh boring citics and proYince~
\Ye1e for cing me to hlnsh \Yth shmne and were deriding
my nudity. If my comme1ee. \Yhi ch fills my lap " Tith treasures and spreads my ie11mn1 fo r and '"ide. is free _. I o"Te

G40

DOCU:;\JEN'l'S

this freedom to your all-powel'fnl intervention. However,

even though the elements, on the one hand, and Heaven,
on the other, should conspire with fortune to rend"er tribntnr.Y to my prm~perity all the wealth of the universe, this
prosperity wonld se1ve only to corTupt the morals of my
eitizens. ~l1he example of other cities is sufficient proof
tlwt abundance ean make us poor, and that my brooks,
changed into rivers of gold and silver, would be good only
for barks laden with Yices which would come to take up
their dwelling and make their home in my bosom. I have
been tanght by your month, which I revere as my oracle,
to place my grea tness in the real possession of virtue. I
consi<ler that the good education of my daughters is the
basis of public t1~anquility. On it depends fidelity in marriage, discipline in the family, a good understanding of
the home, and the fem of God and the observance of His law.
Now that God has blessecl me w'"ith a great nrnltitude
of d1ildren, I am in need of ieligious teachers, not only
in the subnrbs, lmt also in every public square and on
every seet, to gi ve to so numy young minds the first tincture of virtne. I beg that Your I~minence may uot leave
its work unfinisherl, and that it may deign to cTown so
many othe1 benefits with this final favor which will be
as the seal of your former benevolence, by granting me a
greate1 number of wome11-worke1s to whom Gocl has given
i he science of fol'lning His arches and nll the measureme1its neress:wy fm the consirnction of His living temples. Hjs infinitc W'1~dorn sees effects in the bosom of
their cam~es, a])(l wi11 be n ble to rccognir,e that the fire
whieh will lmrn on His nltnrs and the ineensc which will
flll HiR Rnnctrnnies, ha~ becn ~clecte hy yo11r handf;, which
me ever doing good, a11d afte1 thii;;;, donhtle~f;, Incarnate
"~(lom wil] ])0111' the ahnrnlm1t balm of llis nnction 011
t he heul of the II igh P1ief;1- Auou, who hm~ fe snprrmc
~n1,e1i1itell(1ell<"e O\'ll1 <<>1emo11it~ a1H1 :--1CH1ificeR.
Mo11~eig11p m, ~uch me the p1ayc1R and the nnlent long11g8 of' a <"ity whid1 if; n~ deal' to you :u.; the app]e of

641

DOCUMENTS

yom eye. 'The a pprehensions of its citizens me not gronndess. For badly edncated girls ai-e so mauy catnracts over
its eyef-1, so mmiy foins in its side_, eansing c1nel pains
and forcing g1omrn from the fathe1s who begot thern. om~
city fem~, "'ith good 1ea~on, that it will be obliged to
wail like the eagle th<lt sa w itself }J='ree<l with m1 m1ow
feathe1ed \\'th itR own plume, and sa id: "Ilow wTetched
1 am! How V<liu I wa~ in rny self-tomvlaeency, while
~preadillg rny wing~ nnd (h-opping a pinion that winged
the stet>'. shaft which n'o w pierces my heart !''
Am id the public acclamations and pra.;es of all the
officials and all the Orders manifesting their gratitude for
so many kindnesses, Yonr Eminence bas too good a hemt
to snffel' the 01ily commnnity devoted hy it~ vocation to
the special wol'~hip of the adorable Peison of lhe In<'arnate \Yol'd, to remain dnmh aiHid this jo~'tnl chorus.
lndeed, if the snbjeet~ tomposing it, wen~ ielmffed by a
Prelate "'ho gl01ied in <>])posing frne cle,Totion, those who
know tltefr stel'l i ug yfrtne arn1 the extr aonli nn ry worth
of their ~lotlie1 Snpel'01ess, wonld feel pity for the just
One, 'vhom he "'onld like to extingnish as a candle whieh
lias been snnffed ont nnd cmifa only -.:moke of a bad odor.
'rhe "'orld will see thefr ho1Jes and exvectations of so many
years frustrated under a P1ince of the Church whose ambition is to seize eYe1y opportnnity W'hich his pnulence conside1s advantageou~ for the glory of God, and will sny
that its ow11 aspiiations mnst have been criminal, since
it kuows that sanctity is an attrilrnte whieh i~ inseparable
from e\ery oue of yonr actions.
?ifonseignem-, a1low ns the liberty to say, in conclusion,
that \\'e know not how yon view this matter, but that we
fo1esee thnt von will have fronble to defend yonrself ag;ainst
a per~on f~wo1ed by Heayen, 1ike ~lothcr de l\Iatel, who
attack~ yon on 1y by reitc1atcd aets of lnunlJle snbmission
to y011r 01de1s, and whose only plm1 of battle is to piostrate he1self with coutinual te~n~, at the feet of Yonr
gmi1wHeP. lf yon obse1\'C nu ob~iinnte silence toward~
this l'nithful ngeut of the i11terests of the Incarnate 'Yord,
'

<

642

DOCUMENTS

sbe will 1wesent Himself to you. If you rebuff her with

seeming disdain, she will appeal to His apostles and disciples "'ho will rernind Yonr Eminence that it would cost
.r ou 110thi11g to rid yonrself and them of her cries, by
granting her what she asks. If you say that she is a
~trnnger, and that you have bread only for your children,
Nhe will rejoin that she longs for nothing so much as
to become your daughter without delay, and that for seven
years she has heen ~t oi1 ing in the pursuit of this happine8s, and, m01eover, that you have no daughter more mindful of the respect and obedience due to her Father and
Lord. Iler faith is so great that she will go further. Call
her eyen a dog, and you will see her take you at your
word and beg the crnrnhs from your table, this is, only
what fhe others do not want.
But :Monseigneur, why clisgn ise fruth and misrepresent
onr convictions'? I t is an injustice to the iare virtues
which me resplendent in this faithfnl servant of God, to
compare he1 to the Cana nean \\'Oman. In spirit, sbe is
a true Israelite. She is consequently a daughter of that
great patriarch "'ho "Test1ed with the angels and forced
them, when day '"as breaking, to sue for peace and confess thcmsel ves vnnquished, from fear lest the sun, which
was beginning to show- itself above the horizon, might
manifest their weakness. She has inherited the nobility
of her father and is no"r wrestling with him who is in
the place of the Angel of the Great Conncil, and is detc1mined not to loosen h er hold nntil site lias obtained
youl' lJlessi ug, y\'11i le she '"aits foi Heaven to render you
favorable to the designs of Go<l npon her for the estab]jshm('11 t of the 01"<lel' of the Incarnate \Yonl , to makc her
iis iBstitnhPss arnl fomHl1ess. tfter having endowed her
witli ihc rnost ]H'('eio11s g1wes foi ihi s 1es111t and with
:t1 I tlt c qrnll i t iPs ll<'<'('Ss:ny fm th i s woi-k. 'Phis pions l\J other
will uot nli11cp1ish h<1 pnrpose 11ntil shc has aecomplished
i t, and will 11<-Y<'l' e<>t~e to 1nay f'p1v< ntl y i.o God to savc
Yom \Iost l ll md1ious E rni11 eHee.

G-3

DOCU~IEXTS

-CAPPROBATIOX

OF

THE

REVEREX D

COXSTITUTIOXS

AXD

:?\IOST

BY

THE

:?\IOST

ILLUSTRIO-CS

ARCHBISHOP OF A VIGXOX 1

\Ye, the nndersigned, who ha\e been depnted by the

Reyerend Yicnr General of the ~Iost Illustrions Archbishop
of A Yignon, to see and examine the Rnles and Constitu tions of the Cong1egation of the [ncainnte \\.,. ord comprising sixteen manuscript le;.nes and signatures, ayow and
report that the said Hnles and Constitutions are Yery devont and religions, and contain nothing conmy to the
Sacred Conncil of 'l"rent. the holy can ons or the apostolic
ordinances, and, conseqnent1y, that they onght to be approved and authorized b.'~ the said Sir Yicar General, in
testimony whereof we h;.we signed the present attestation
and report. on I>ecember D, 1G30.
J onx

BAPTIST G u EsX~lY)

Hector of tlz e Coll('ge of ~-lrignon

of th e Society of .J es us.
VExTo,. Doctor of Dirinity.
TonQ UATO) Tlzeologian.
I, the unde1signed, the fiscal agent and the auditor

of cases before ~Ionseigneur the .A1ehbishop of A \ignon,

do not oppose the approbation and authol"ization of the
said Rules and Constitutions, since they contain nothing
which is not pions and religions; pro\ided, hoYreYer. that
the religions of the said Institute shall be under the obligation, in eYerything and eYen~whe1e, to obse1Te the deerees of the holy Council of Trent in things whieh concern
~Ionaste1ies of Religions, nncl in particular as to the mat1Ch. XIII.

()44

DOCUMENTS

ter of the cloister nnd the election of Superioress of the

said Jfonastery. r:rhis ninth day of necember, 1630.

r.

S. SALVADOn,.

J1 iscal rlgcnt of the Archbishov of Avi,rpwn.

'y e, the Vic a r General of the Arc h bishop of Avignon

do nnth01z;e, eonfirm, and approve~ the said Constitutions.
D' Ar_,Al\IAN,. Vfoar Gencra l.
Given at Ayignon in the Archiepiscopal palace, December 10, 1(53!). ~rhe 17th year of the rontificate of Our
Holy Father, Pope Urban VIII, Monseigneur, the Most
Illustrions and Most Reverend l\fario Philonardi, Archhishop of Avignon, by the gl'ace of God and the Roly
A postolic See, being Apostolic Nnncio at the corn t of
Ladislaus IV, King of Polm1d and Sweden.

-DCONFIRMATION OF THE CONSTITUTIONS BY

POPE INNOCENT X 1

Innocent X

Pope, For a Peri1etnal l\Iemol'y of 'l"he

~fatter.

Our well beloved in ~J esns Christ, the A bbess or rrioress

and the Heligions of the Congl'egntion of the daughters
alle<l of the Inem1wtc 'Yonl nnd the Blessed Sac1ament,
Onle1 of St. A ngm~tine, in the <'iy of Avignon, having
lately tlll~Pd to he 1claied to nf.\ that cc1tain Stntntes and
("omditntion~ ha<l bt~cn <hawn np for ihc happy govc111ing
l

C h. X III .

DOCU:\IEXTS

645

of their .Jlonaste1y. and in order that the said Statutes may

be the more strictlY
obsen. e<l the said 1elators ardent!\.., .
'
de:-;ire that they l'e sauctionecl by our A postolic App10bation. The1efo1e. 'dshing: to fm. or the saicl relatois 'Yith
~piritunl grnees and fayor~. and absolYing them each one
in pai-ticnlar from eYe1y exeommunication. suspension, inte1dict or other penalty intlicted by the law or in any
'n1y 'diatsoever. if the:- ha Ye incurred them. and this only
for the effect and tenor of these presents, and assenting
to the ~upplications which haye been made in their name
with all humilit3-, \\Te approve and confirm by Our Apostolic A uthorit.'- through the tenor of these presents, the
~aid Constitutions and Stntutes, p1ovided tbey be used
honeE'tly and 1icitl.'-, and tbat they be not in any w ay reYoked or comp1ehenc1ed in any reyoeation, and that tbey
be not contrmy to the sa('red Canons and Dec.rees of the
Council of Trent. to the Apostolic Constitutions and the
Tnstitnte of the said On1e1 and Congrega tion. Yr e gi ,-e
to them the force of the A1wstolic Autbority. and '"e suppl.'- all defects of law or fact,
any snch exist, ordering
that the present letters shall foreyer be valicl, firm~ and
efficacions, shall haYe their full and complete effect. shall
be inviolab]y obserYed by those whom they may concern,
and shall thus be judged and defined b,\ every juclge whomsoeYer, whether he be ordinary or delegated, and even by
the auditor of the cases of the Apostolic Palace, and that
all which shall be attempted to the contrary, whether wittingly or umdttingly, shall be held as null. X otwithstanding all other Constitutions and Ordinances of tbe
~\. postolic See 01 of the .Jionastery, Congregation and Ortler
of the :-:aid relators, made nnder oath or b,\ Apostolic
A uthority or b,\ anything else ''hatsoever, whether Statu tes, cnstoms, 01 anything else to the conary.

iir

Giveu at Rome, in St. Peter's, uncler the Fisherman 's

Hing, X oYember lG, lGJJ, the first of our Pontifieate .
.JI. A . .JLrnALDus.

G4()

DOCU~JENTS

- ELETTER OF A RELIGIOUS OF THE MONA1STERY OF PARIS 1

Praised be the Incarna te 'Vord.

neverend Fathe1:
I know not when .rou will stop your unjust pursuit
and your complaiuts against the Incarnate lVord in the
person of His sponse. l confess that I am the greatest
criminal in the world for having spoken against her
who has done me so many kindnesses. . . . Ho\yever you
know well that I did not say to you the things that you
are saying elsewhe1e. You came and told me what was
being said y the many and I replied to you, that the man:r
always talk wrongly. Yon answered that they knew her
better than we did. Yon said that she suck me. It is
true that she wished to make me lowcr my head which
1 obstinately held up. She wished to humble the devil
that was n me. If you had not questioned me on the
snbject, you wonld not have taken from it your grounds
foi decryiug our Heverend l\Jother, and I, who was ignorant
of yom intentions, allow'e myself to be carried away and
1elated it w01se than it was in fact. You always said
to me that you wonld do nothing about the matter. Yon
have not kept yonr p1omise. Yon use me as yonr tool for
doing a11 that yon me doi11g, and yet yon lrnow we11 bef'o1e God, that I gaYe yon no }Je1mission or commis~io11
foi this. . . . 'Yould to Ood that l had neYe1 spoken to
yon ! . . . Ile i:-:; p1111i~hing me jnstl.r although not as fnlly
as T descn'c. l spoke to .ron, against the p1oh i bi tion by
my l{ulc aud i)y rny Snperioress, to whom I haYc made
a yow of obediem_:e solern11ly arnl spontaneomdy, and T
will keep it aml cherish it m01e exadly than I lrnYe <1011e,
al t hough :yo11 tol<l rne that l was not bmmd to obey her.
lC h . XX U .

DOCUMENTS

647

Yon have rnined me before God and man. All who formel'1y had nothing bnt kindness for me, cannot bear the
sight of me. I pm.:s for a .Judas in the honse, and my
cl'ime is known eve1ywhe1e. All are against m~. Our
Heverernl jfother, whorn a1one T hnve w1onged, is the only
one who has the goodness to snffer me to be near her.
And this iN my g1ent shamP. 1f I believed tlrnt God was
for me, it 'vonld be a consolation. But, after so many
offenses, I belieYe I am not in the stn te of grace and,
Father, yon, instead of correeting me, let me grow lrnrdened
in crimes, after hel1)ing me to plnnge into them.
Yon have clone me gTeat "~1ong. Y on have rnined me
Yon
forever. ::\Jy c1ime will never be forgotten.
say tha t yon wi Il de~troy the 01de1. Y on will n ot be
able to destroy "\vhat God has made. He will not attack
Himself. It is due to yon that my name vdll be held
in honor by all the Order. It is already being said that
an Elins wished to clestroy the Order of St. Francis, and
that nnother Elias wishes to desoy the Order of the
Incmnate 'Yord.
For the love of this same Incarna te \Yord and for the
love of all that He has done for onr redemption, I conjure yon to stop yonr persecntions. Anyhow yon will not
sncceed. Our -:)f other has God for her, besides many powerfnl human friends. T recognize better than ever that she
is gnided by the Roly Spirit. She bears yonr calnmnies
with snch patience that she has never spoken of yon, except in te1ms of esteem, as I have told yon several times.
I have often sa id to yon that "\Ve conld not support
01uselves 'Yithont he1, what good wonld it bring yon to
see ns rnnning and begging in the streets, like so many
other nmH~'? \Ylwteve1 I may have said to you again;'it
om Heve1end :\f othe1, T now m1~ny and I am sorry for
having said it. It \YHS the devil tlrnt made me talk so
rn;.; to create on hle in thi~ Ronse.
I pray that Ile may
not be able any longe1 to use yon or me as his tool. Let
~roui ca1nnmies now cease.
1 have no othe1 con1se now
but self-contem1,t mi eternal reg1et foi what I have doue.

f>-!8

DOCUME"N'l'S

r did

not know thnt in iepdmanding me, our Reverend

:Jiother "~ished my good. 1 am all the more criminal in
proportion to my obligations to her. She did me the honor
of keeping me in her company for twenty years with m~e1-y
imaginable manifestntion of goodness, and she received
in ieturn only am1oyant:es. She preferred me to othe1s
a ln111d1ed times better than . myself.
She iaised me to
the highest ofces. I diRcharged their duties very badly
and made myself unworthy of ever receiving any of them
again. I mu the g1eatest criminal in the world for haviug talked against rny Rnpel'oress and :B.,oundress, who
has beeu a ~Iother to me. She took me out of the road
of perdition.
}1.,inally I acknmYledge tlrnt I am guilty and I will be
glad if you show my lette1 to all, for my own shame. I
wiRh it to be well known that (iod has made me acknow1edge
my fanlt, which is greate1 tlrnn that of the prodigal son
who did evi.I only to himself. Dut 1 have "Tonged the
whole 01der by w ronging its head. I am called a Judas
with good reason.
r beg yon not to believe that anothe1 has written this letter fui me, or that I have been
told to write it. 1t cornes from the sonow in my heart
which is bursting.
I am ieady to do any penance
that may l>e given me, eYen tltongh it be imvrisoument until
death. This would not atone for my fault which is so
g1eat. P1ay God to pardon nw and believe me,
Yom most

1111111 l>le

da ugh te1,

Paris, JI ~.r 5, 1 G5:!.

----F CONTR AC T FOR 'THE FOU~Dr~G OF THE l\'IONASTERY
OF LYONS , J G55 1
Hefon~

p<-11p<l

1he 1111de1~i;11ed I:oynl Noht1y of Lyorns np.JPtnne <1lt(za1'<l de ~Intel, danghter o[ the

.\li~~

iC h . XX l V .

DOCU~IE~TS

6:19

defunct nobleman Jean Chzard de 1latel, 101d of the said

place, gentlema in 01dinary of the Honseholcl of the King.
ca1Jtain of a company of light horse for His 1lajesty, a
natiYe of Hoanne in Fol'e:-.;ts, dioeese of Lyons, aged about
fifty yenrs,. at present in Lyons, lodging in her mn1 bouse
whe1e there dwell and liYe in a Congl'egation, ladies m:~
sernbled the1e by her some :eais ago, "ho has said and
deelared that from the tende1est years of her childhoocl
1rnYing been inclined to de,otion, she Yoluntarily dedicated
herself to the ser,iee of God and the utility and ad\antage of Ris Clnuch, for all he1 life, following this mo\ernent of de,otion, hy the aclYice and eounsel of persons
of trne piety, she p1:esented herself to the defunc:t Lord
Cmclinal de 1Jarqnemont and 1lonseignenr 1liron~ both of
them _.\ rchbishops of Lyons. to whom she declared her
desire, nnder their pleasme, to estalJlish in this city a monastery of women, to li\e the1e nnder the YmYs of poYerty. chastit,'. and obedienee. and lJerpetual enclosure.
under the Rule of the Blessed ~t. Augustine and the ~ritle
of the ~~clo1able In curna te Yr 01d and of the 1Iost Blessed
Sa crament of the )d tar. \Yhe1efo1e, the said Lords, the
c~ndiual and the ~\.Tchhishops then allowecl and permittetl
ber to assemlJle the " omen \Yho should present themsehes
to he1, \Y hi ch she did a t the same time, and up to the present, the saitl women ha Ye liYed in community and perfo1mec1 exereise~, as if they \Yere religions. But as the
said Caidina 1 and A1ch bisho1)s died before being able to
make the said foundation. and as she had been busy in
establishing similar 1lonaste1ies in the cities of Paris,
Grenoble, aml ...-\. Yignon, she has not been able to de,ote
her~elf to the establishing of this one in the city a~ ~he
had plmmed, nnd to maintain it 1 the form of Religiou.
in conseqnence of the favo1 and permi~sion which the ~rost
Illustrions an 1Iost Reye1end Lord ..lt pI'esent ..A1d1bishop
of Lyons, P1imate of Frm1ce, etc., lias g1anted her to be
the fonnchess of the sai )fonastery and to pl'm?ifle for
its ~I)I'i tnal and tem voral necessi ties, so tha t the re li gious
who shall be iec:eiYed in it, may secutely deYote thernsel-rcs

650

DOCUMENTS

to the service of God. By these presents, the said Miss de

l\latel has given, constituted, and assigned, and gives, constitntes, and assigns by a pnre, simple, and irrevoeable
donation, for the endowment and founding of this l\Ionastery to be established in this said city of Lyons and for
the snppo1t in it of six religions women, namely, four for
the choir, one Jay Sister, and one portress, which she will
place nt their d;posal, the snm of one thonsand Tournois
]ivres of annual and perpetual income, from the principal
fnnds of the sum of eighteen thousand livres, the said income being payable to the Ruperioress and religions of the
said Monastery eye1y six months, afte1 the said l\lonaster.r
has been established, namely, to receive annually five hundred li-vres from the legU-imate paternal and maternal claims
of the said lady and from the claims which she has from
the succession of the noble ..Jean de l\Jatel, her brother, and
besides an income of fiye hundred livres from her claim
which she has on the excise on salt of Paris by a contract
A ugnst 28, Hi-W, si;ned by Parque and Vaullie1, notaries,
PmiR, as al~o on her horn~e sitnated in this city on the ascent
extending from Gomguillon to Sai1:1t-Just acqnired by her
from the defnnct sire Andl'ew Yian by contract received by
the 1111dersigned notary on .June 3, 1G37. And in general, for
greater security, on all and each of her present or future
possessions, which and the said claims of legitimate income
and hon~e she has obligated and hypothecated for the perpetual pnyment of the said income of one thonsand livres
and fol' the avm1tage of the said Monastery with submission to all courts, renouncing all her contrary rights. 'l'he
~aid l\fis~ de ~fotel le~01Tillg the right to be able to change
the :i~HigmneHt of the ~aid in<'orne to other good mortgages
01 to farn1 ont the ~ai<l JH'lleipal ~mu of eig-1lieen thornmnd
Jines i11 01'<k1 to acq11i1<) poN~e~Hi011~ profitalJle to the said
~\I 01iasi<)1y, m1<lP1 the condition t1rn t shc ~ha]] hn ve the name
alld i itle of 1nsti t-11 ti-e~s of the said lUonnstery and of
L~.,otrnd1Ps8 of the same and that as Institntress of the said
< >1"<fo1 she sha11. enjoy in the said Mornu;tery all the right8

DOCUMENTS

651

and privegtes belonging to Found.ers and Foundress

of Churches and Monaste1ies in France. And especially
the righ t to go into, and to corne out of, the said Monastery
and the regnlar plaees of the same, cvery timc and when ever it sha 11 seem good to her, with one or two daughters
of her suite, dnring which sojourn the said lady and the
daughters of her suite, shall be fed at its expense, and that
she shall cause to corne in with herself such a person as ~he
may judge proper. Even to change the religions as she
shall judge best. AU with the consent of the Superior.
.And that after her decease, the religious of the said Monastery and those w-110 shall sncceecl, shall be obliged to recite
for the repose of her soul all the offices and prayers usual
for Founders and Foundresses of 1'fonasteries, and, a lso, on
conditjon that she shall be admitted to the habit and the
profession of the said Order in the said Monastery when it
shall be pleasing to her, nnder the entire dependence, authority, and jurisdiction of :Monseigneur the Archbishop and his
successors, most lrnmbly snpplicating Monseigneur the Archbishop to be pleased to accept the present contract of foundation and donation, to ratify, confirrn, and sanction it in all
its clauses and parts, and she and the religious of the said
l\fonastery wjll be all the more obligated to pray Gocl for
his health and prosperity.
Done and made in the hotel of my said J_.orcl Archbishop,
on the thirtieth day of the rnonth of -December, one thousand six hundred and fifty-five. Present 1\1. Louis Bernardon, priest_, prior of Denic, and sire Henry de Pencieu,
Bourgeois of Lyons, witnesses who have signed the said
con tract with the sa id T. . ord Archbishop and -the said l\1iss
de Matel.
PAPILLON.

652

DOCUl\lE~TS

-GBRIEF GRA>JTI>JG PER1:\HSSI0.\1' FOR MOTHER DE :MAT.EL

. TO TAKE THE HABIT A~D MAKE HER VOWS \'THE~
SHE WISHES WITHOUT HA VING TO MAKE A~Y
~OVITIATE PREVIOUSL Y 1

Louis de Yendome, Cmdinal deacon of the title of Saint

l\Iary in Porticn Legate a latcre of onr Roly Father Pope
Clement IX and of the A postolic See to the most sereue
])l'nce_, Louis, Most Clnistian King of Fiance and Navarre,
for all his reahn, estates; domains, cities, places, territories,
and for all localities subject to him or adjacent to them,
and foi all the l)laees to which we may go; to our daughter
in Christ, Jeanne Clu.~zard de ~Iatel, Fonndress of the Congregation of the Risters of the Inemnate 'Vord and of the
Blessed SaCl'ament in this kingdom of France, eternal saln1tion in the Lord.
Jt seems jnst and ieasonable for us to grant favors to
those who labor with fruit in the Vineyard of the Lord.
According to \vhat has been related to us with regard to
yon, you have aRRmedly instituted the said Congregation
under the Hule of St. Augustine, founded its four l\fonaste1ies of Avignon, Lyons, Paris, and Grenoble, and couse- crated yom life foi a nnmher of years to their spiritual
development and advnncement. l 11 the eonvent of Paris,
in lG-14, you 1eceiYed the habit whieh is in use. But siuce
then you haYe been almost daily ocenpied with the business
of the Congregntion and yon have ohtained from the
r--overeign pontiffR Piban Yl II an<l Innocent X of happy
rnemory, Bnlls of instit11ti011 and confirmation, from the
J''Jm.;t CJ11istian King letterR patent, and from the Ordinaries
of the place the licenses ne<'eSRmy foi their establishment,
:nt<l foi thesc canRes yon haye not heen nhlc to rnake yom
1Ch. XXVI.

DOCU~IEXTS

653

mn1 profession as yet. Therefore you now desire it. As

.'om noYitiate has not lJeen regnlar nor complete the petition transmitted to ns from yon in w hich .-ron allege that
h.' an ex1ness penni~sion obtained from :om Snperiors, in
Ye\Y of the n oYe mentioned occupations. you haYe always
wo1n the lia bit of the 01de1 un der your secuhu dress, begs
ns to be J)leasecl to supply for this by ~~postoli c Anthority
and to grant this same frnr to our clanghter in Christ,
Frances G1nYie1~ yonr secretnry and companion for thirty~ix years or theren lJouts, who: sin ce the year 1G5, has ''01n
nnder her secnlm clress a habit similai to yoms in Yirtne
of a simihu autho1ization.
Ou onr sicle, in d rtue of the cluties impo~ecl upon us
b.'T our offic-e of A })Ostolic Lega te, it is S\Yeet to our beart
to condescend to the pions reqnests of cleYout women, and
especially of those who toil to extencl the \Yorship of God.
Therefore \Ye clesire to g1ant to both of you , .Jeanne institntress and fonn1ess, and Frances, special fa-vors and
graees. By these presents nnd for the sole effect of their
-raliclity, we absoke you and cleclme you absolYed from
eYery excommunication, suspension. interclict, and other
ecclesiastical sentences, censures, penalties infiicted by an.r
law or any person, from no matter \Yhat occasion or motive,
if ~ou haYe incurred an~T whatsoeYer. And in consideration
of that religions habit which you haYe always \YOrn and of
that solicitude w hich you haYe neYer ceasecl to show for
the interests of the Congregation, we grant and accord to
you willingly in the Lord, in conformity \dth you'r petition,
by the tenor of these presents and in yfrtne of the Apostolic
Anthority Yrhich we exercise in this matter, the permission
to make freely, licitly, and Yalidly the regular profession
of the said Order in the hands of your Snperior or confessor, and to the latter the anthority to receiye it Yaliclly.
\Yithont need of any other noYitiate, considering that yon
practise perfectly the rule and obserYance of this same
Congregation; notw-ithstanding what precedes, any Apostolic Constitutions and 01dimmces, any statntes and cns-

654

DOCU)IK~TS

toms of the above said Ordcr, Congregation and Monasteries

alHl any other enactmcnts to the contrary.
Give11 at Pmis, ill the yem of the Incm1rntion 1 GHS, the
six th of the Ides of ~Tune, the year one of the pon tificate of
Our Roly Father the Pope above nmued.
7

Louis) Uanliual de 1 endncc) Lcgatc.

DE Ii1o~NE, Protouotary Apostolic.
DE BoNFILS .1-l nclitor and Secrctary of the Lcgation.

-H-

BOME

PARTICULAR S OONCER~ING MOTHER

AND MADAME ROUSSEAU 1
1

DE

MATEL

Madame Rousseau becmne acqnainted with l\Iother de

l\f atel during the latter's first sojourn at Paris, between
1628 and 1632. 'Ye consider it not inopportune to recall
a noteworthy incident whieh took place at that time, and
to whieh -tbat pions 'voman was not a stranger. \Ve shall
hear 1'fother de Bly to whom this fact was later told by
l\f adame Rousseau he1self. 'rl1e nanative is found in Chapte1 XV, Pmt I, of l\fother de Bly's l\lannscript Memoir.
"Jn the 11eighborhoo<1 of the street of St. Andrew-of-theA rts wherc Madame UonsReau and Mother de Ma tel resided
afte1 the lattcr's arTival in the capital, there dwelt an
mtist named Dnlaurie1. He and his family bclonged to
the 1eformed ehurch. He was ardently desirous of paintj11g a portrait of l\fother de Matel, because he said, all lier
features were beautiful and ~lie had a physiognomy which
was most plcmdng. 'rhis was the frni h, but no one dared
to propose the mattc1 to the good l\fother. Iler piety and
l

C' h . XXVII f.

DOCU~IENTS

655

great modesty made all fear that they would not be heeded.
Ho"Teve1 Madame Rousseau ventured to speak to her about
it, in orde1 to oblige the artist who, being a near neigh bor,
often met them on their 'vay together to the chnrch of St .
.. 1-ndrew. ~ladame Hunssean seeing that onr worthy )lother
wonld not hear of the propo~nl, was inspired to say to her
that she onght not to refnse the painter this satisfaction,
because, by this means, he might be eo1fferted from heresy
and that she might use this chance to reason with him
as the Incarna te \Y 01d ha d (lone wi th the Sam a ri tan woman.
Our worthy )lother yielded to this motive, and a day was
appointed for having lier portrait made. Slie besought the
DiYine Goodness to be pleased to draw from tliis meeting
His o'Yn glory and the salvation of the painter. On their
return from )fass the artist was promptly waiting in their
home whe1e some others of their lady friends were also
assembled. During his work he remarked that )lother d
)latel rhanged ber look so greatly from time to iime that
he could not catch lier expression. Althongh she spoke to
no one, her intel'ior occupation seemed to liim to be in a
'vay divine. He felt fo1ced to say to her that he feared
the portait would he a faihne, beeause it appemed to him
that something exhaordinn1y wns taking place in her soul.
'fhis was also the opinion of others who 'vere present with
3fadame Rousseau, who told me that our pions :\Iother,
speaking from time to time to the painter so convinced him
that his religion wns not the iight one that he was eonstrained to acknowledge that all who lived in . it were in
error, and that he was determined to leave it and embrace
the only trne one. He ascribed this change to her prayers;
he asked her also to obtain for him the grace of executing
his determination. Our worthy )fother promised to help
him to the extent of ber pmver, and exhorted bim to keep
his pnrpose a sel'ret, and to be faithful to the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, \Yho hnd already made a breaeh in
his heal't to d1nw him ont of the error in whieh he had
liYed up to that time.
"The porhnit conld not be completed thn t day. 'l"'he
artist came back another day to IJerfect it. This gave

5G
)lothe1 de ~Iatel a chance to encourage, with her pious
'"ords~ the heait of thn t man on w hom God had arted so
~ongly.
She said to him: Since you now knmY the truth,
yon must follow it and i)l'epare to abjme yom heresy as
soon as possible.' 'ro tlt is he 1eplied: I would like to do
so to-monow, bnt it is im1)ossible, since I have an important
]a,ysuit which is to be decided.' "The Holy Spirit,' she
insisted, 'is the enemy of proe1astination and yon may die.
f bcg of yon not to put off an ad on which yonr eternal
salyation de1)ends.' He agreed with her, but left 'vithout
having made any definite decision, ~s he wishe~ first of
all to see the end of the ca~e. Trou bled as he was, he went
and solicited the judges "'ho decided in his favor. ~Phe
next day he was 80 oye1joyed at gnining his case, that on
1eaving the eonrt it seerned to him that he conld not reach bis
lodg:ings quiek enough to tell the news to bis wife. 'Yhile
~mying to her, "'l"'he cnse is won,, he fell dead at her fe~t.
'"Onr wol"thy ~Iother alltl ~fndame Honssenn, bei ng informed of this misfo1t11nc mHl of the wife being inconsolable,
went to share her sonow and to y to take advantage
of it for the saving of hCI sonl. ~ ot t o lose time, our worthy
)fother told the desolate whlow what 11ad liappened during the p1eceding days, the good disvof.litions of ber husband, and his 1esolYe to abjure he1esy and make his profes~on of the Catholic faith as soon as pos~dble. Finally,
~he spokc to he1 with sneh fe1vor to win he1 to the sentiments whiC'h her lrnshand had ~l10wn, tlwt the woman was
touehed and hei mind was illnmined with di,'ine light. Shc
an<l her daughter and hcr brother-iu-law, "'ho lived wi th
he1, wcre all c011Ye1ted. They made their 1nofes~ion of fait-h
to;ethe1, and ~la<lm11p Horn;;~enn ns~i~ted at the te1ern011y.
1 do 11 ot lmow if om wol't"hy :\ l o ther wn:-.; p1e~e1 it a t it,
: t<ld~ ~lotltPr <k B( ly, n~ 1 <li<l not inqnil'e abont this. Bnt
l }>puoe<l the noo<Hl wornm1 io tP11 me whHt had hl t0111c ni'
1lw1- pmfr,\t. Rhc sai<l t-hat ~lie freas111e<l it and wonl<l
lrit me ~ee H somc day. ''
1

~:-.

DOCG~IEXTS

G57

-I-

CERTIFICA TES OF THE CLOTHIXG AXD THE PROFESSIOX

OF THE REVEREXD ::.\TOTHER CHEZARD DE ::.\1ATEL
FOUXDRESS OF THE ORDER OF THE
IXCARXATE \YORD 1

In 1GS:1, :Jiother de Bly '~Tote a short mernorandnrn

of special eyents occurring at the time of the illness and
death of l\Iother de :Jlatel. She learned them from the
religions of the :Jlonastery, she herself having been absent,
owing to causes which haYe been descrbed in her Jlwwscript JI emoir. This docnment is sigued by herself ns also
by the religions who were witnesses of the facts. \\. .e make
the following extracts.
' I, the nndersigued, Sis ter J emrne of J esus de Bly,
fonrth professed ieligions of the Couvent of the Congregation of the Religions of the Incarnate 'Yord, foundecl
and established at Paris, on the Rue de Grenelle in the
suburb of Saint-Ge1111nin-des-Prs, by the late Yery ReYerend :Jiother .Jeanne Chzard de :Jiatel, called )Jary of
J esus, Institutress and Foundress of the said c01wc11t and
Order; from which I was taken a 'vay OB J uly ~1. 1G70, only
hecause I was defending its rights, and was led to the
~Ionastery of the nenedictine Religions of Liesse~ whirh
is on the street of Yangirard. ThA followiBg ele,~e11th of
Septembe1\ I receiYed letters from Risters of our said
bouse, which gaye me the sad news of the death of our
said Ileverend :Jiother Institutress, whom Our Lord had
taken to Himself townrds one o'clock of that morning.
Sorne days afterwards, they sent me the rnU'rative of 'Ylrnt
had taken J>lace during her illness and after ber deeease
,yhich happened on September 11, 1G70, etc.
JCh. XXIX.

G58

DOCUMENTS

"'l"'he nndersigned religions told me that they had asRisted at the iuvesting with the habit which the Rev.
11.,ather 1 >orn Yietor 'fixier, r1ior of the abbey of St. Gernwin-des-P1r.s, and ex-officio Yicar General of l\Ionseigueur
Hardonin de PfrNixe, then ~\rthbiRhop of Paris, had given
to om Heve1end ~fothe1 I nRtitnfr~ss and Foundress, who
took her vows with great ferv01, on Septem ber 10, 1670,
i11 the handR of 3fonsieur the Abb Colombet. who gave
her the lJlack veil, as being the presiding official of the
ceremony of that profession for which he had~ been commiRsioned by the said Prior Vicar General . . . etc. . . .
none at the Couvent of the l\Iother of God, at Paris,
1 >ecern ber 28, 1 GS8.

Sn . .JR\NNE OF .JEsus DE Br_JY) sup.,. and un1rortlly

religious of tlte lncarnato ll'ord.
Sn. ELIZ~Um'rH DU RT. :\IOUR LE RoY) rcUgious of the
Incarnate lrord.
Sn. ELIZAimni: OF 'rr--rn ::N A'I'IYITY GELLEE) rcli,q io Ils of
the I11carnatc ll :onl.
Sn. JEAN~E OF' 'l'HE TILESSED SACRAl\IENT ALLOUIS, rcli,qious of flic Incarnate 1Vord.
Sn.

l\'fAnY OF 'l'HFJ HoLY GI--IoST nu BEcY,,

rcligious of

tlic Incanwtc 1Vonl.

'"'Ve, the mule1~dgned, all of ns professed religions still
{hYelling with the ahove said ieligions of the Incarnate
ol'(l, othend~e called of the ~f other of God, Orleans
stl'Cet, Suburb of St. l\farcellns, declme to be trne what
i~ eontai11ed in this document, in testi111ony of which we
have made and sip;11cd the preseut "Titing.

"r

D011c at Pmis, in the snid Mo11a~ie1y of the l\lothe1

of < io<l, this twenty-11i11th day of l >e<"ember, one thonRmHl
:-;ix hm1<_hed nnd eigl1ty-ihree.

659

DOCC~lEXIS

Yrn~. called of St. ~-\._ugustin. Canof .Sainte _-:tnne of Paris. of the Rue des

Sn. :JLrnG_\RET DE
OJU! 88

Poste~.

~R.

:JLIBY OF THE HoLY GHOST. Jaquernin. An n unciade

oj th e City of Paris.
~ R. ~ICLLE DE :Jio~~rmEA_L_. called of St. ~Iar:.
Ben edictin e.
Sn. FRA_XCES DE L'HosTE. called of St. John: B r:ncdictin e.
Sn. _-\..~T IO XETTE TrssrER. called of the ~ ativit:_.
Canonr.:ss of Saint Ann e of Paris.
:JLrnG_rnET JA.~I~. ~lA_RY DE L~YE. Portresses.
In lGDl. :Jiother cle - Bl:. again requested the teligious
of the 'arions Orclers \Yho had assisted at the profession
of :Jiother de ~la tel. to make and sign the following deed:
"n this ttent;-sixth cla; of _-\._ugust. me thousand six
hunclred and ninery--one,. we the under:'igned. _Sister :Jiarzaret de Yion. called of St. Auzuqine. and Antoinette
Tissier. callecl of the ~a ti\it;. eanonesses iegulais of St.
Augustine and professed of the Con,ent of Saint _-\_une situated in Paris. rue des Postes near the Estrapade. certif:
to all whorn it ma; cou cern that. on the tenth da: of September of the :ear one thousand six hundrecl and se,ent:.
we assisted at the ceremon: of Profession which the late
Re,erencl :Jiother Jeanne Chzard de :Jiatel. called ~Iary
of J esus,. Instinnress_. Foundress. and Superior General
of the Order and Congregation of the Incmnate \\~ ord.
made in her con,ent of the said Order pretiousl; canonically
establishecl at Paris,. under the rnle of St . ..:-\_ugustine. rue
Grenelle. I 1mish of ~ain t-Sul pice. in the :ear lG--. in
\"l'tne of lette1s patent of the King:. 1latecl nf the :n~' ar 1C:3. in
\dlich to1n-e11t of the 1 ncarna te "~111d we had heen cl welling:
a1_1ullt nn> 111011th~. when the :-:ahl ne,e1e1Hl :Jiothe1 Founclte~:-: the1e
p1011om1cecl publicl.'- the n>ws of lJO\erry,
chastiQ-. and obedience. with g1eat fen-ol'. in the hands

GGO

DOCUl\IENTS

of 3f. Colomhet, at present Cur in the Yivarais and

brother of the principal of the College of Burgundy of this
eity of Paris, as presiding at the said ceremony, having
beeu delegate<l for this im1pose by the Reverend Father
Dom Vidor 'f'ixier, then Prim of Saint-Germain-des-Prs,
and Yicar Ge11e1al of the late ~f ollseignenr Ilardouin de
Prfixe, A1chbishop of Pmis, in testimony of which, on
the above said day, of the nhove snid yeal', we have signed
the certificate 1eqnested from ns by the Reve1end Mothe1
Jeanne de Bly, called of J esns, professed religions of
the said eonvent of the Intmnate YVord, from which she
was absent for the nffairs of that eonvent, and at p1esent
Snperioress of the \Iona8tery of the :.Mother of God) sitnated on Orleans street, near the Hoyal Gmden of the
snburb of St. ~fartellus, "hither she wns transported "ith
all the community, and where there remained also several
religions of varions Orde1s, by the eommand of Mgr. Francis
dn Harlay, Archbisl10p of Pal'is, on the tbird of -M ay, 1672,
"ith whieh religions of the 1ncnrnnte 'Yord, I am still
in the same :.Monastery of' the )1othe1 of God, where religions discipline is fnithfnlly observed and the divine
Otiee is recited with eqnal fe1vor, gl01y be to God.
none at Paris, in the
of God, August 2G, 1mn.

Rn.
Sn.

~aid

:Monaste1y of the l\lother

~L\.HG.\m~r

V ws, ealled of ~t. ~~\.ngu~tine.

ANTOINE'L"l'I<j 'l,1ssIEu) called of the Nativity.

'T, the nnde1:dgned, Se1 ~ito11e de )lonmi1eau, eallc

of 8t. ~fary~ 1wofe:-;~c<l 1c1igions of the Be11edietines of Om
La(ly of Commlation, mul still <lwPlling with the abovc
:-;:.i(l 1<'1igiou:-; of tli<' l11<mnn W'or<l, whme T Pntc1e<l 011
.J 11 ly ~~. l <>70, who m< t ( l >1e:-:p11t in the ~f oHa~i e1y of ( h<
l\ lol1H1 of 00<l, <lo te1( if'y io nll wl10111 it 11uty <'OlH'Pl'JJ ihe
( 1'1ltl1 of wl1Ht i:-: <md;tlw<l i11 t-11<' nboYe <leed, and iltat
1 n]:-:o h:td ( hc ('011:-:o}ai io11 01' l~Nhd ng nt the CCI'ClllOllY
of the profe~sio11 of tltc Y c1y Hcyere11d )] othcr J canne

DOCUl\fENTS

661

Chzard de )fatel, called :\Iary of Jesns, Institntress and

Fonndress of the ~nid Order of the Incarnate 'Vord.
none at Paris, on this t\yenty-ninth day of August,
lGDl.
NICOLLE DID ~lON:..\lllll!UU)

called of St. )fary, Bellcdictine Rcligious/)

tJ 2.3
Cb3l$
l

,,,.
1

ST. M~RY'S SE INARY UBRARY

PrPJvllle, Missouri
o

'

"

~L

453'7

Donated
To The Library by

JOHN LOZANO, CMF

LIBRARY
June, 1995

DEMCO. INC .-Archivc Safc

BX 4500=8 =Z8 53413 1922

Saint Pierre de Jesus,

Life of the Reverend Mother

Jeanne Chezard de Matel,

_.

Digitized by the Internet Arcliive

in 2011 with funding from
CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois

http://www.archive.org/details/lifeofreverendmoOOsain